Jaipur, Sep 1 (HT): Two labourers were killed and another two injured after a speeding SUV allegedly driven by the son of a local BJP leader ran over them near the Gandhi Nagar railway station on Thursday night, police said.
Police said 35-year-old Bharat Bhushan Meena, the son of Karaudi BJP farmer cell head Badri Meena, was found to be in an inebriated condition.
The four labourers were sleeping on a pavement when the incident occurred around 11 pm. Although they were rushed to the trauma centre of the Sawai Man Singh Hospital soon afterwards, two of them – Sajid Khan (25) and Jagmohan Jatav (40) – succumbed to their injuries around 3 am on Friday. Both hailed from Bharatpur district.
The injured people were identified as Nanuram Bairwa (35) from Bundi district and Sitaram Yadav (42) from Madhya Pradesh.
“Police personnel from a PCR van in the area nabbed the accused soon after the incident occurred. A case has been registered against him under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code as well as the Motor Vehicles Act,” said Narendra Kumar, circle in-charge of the Jaipur East police station.
According to police, Bharat was driving the car in a drunk state. “Breathalyser tests showed that the alcohol content in his blood was 264 mg per 100 ml, which is way more than the permissible limit of 30 mg,” said Kumar, the investigating officer in the case.
However, Bharat identified himself as a freelance journalist and stated that the accident had occurred due to brake failure. “The brakes failed while I was taking a right turn towards Gandhi Nagar railway station. This caused my vehicle to lose control and run onto the pavement,” he said.
His father said he did not have adequate information on the incident. “As I have been busy with the Gaurav Yatra, I came to know what happened only on Friday morning. The news has completely spoiled my mood,” he said over the phone.
When asked further questions, Badri disconnected the call.