The Pune police have arrested the father of the juvenile involved in the fatal accident that occurred on Monday morning. The minor was driving a Porsche without a registration number, which crashed into a bike, resulting in two deaths. The authorities have also arrested the owners of two restaurants and a staff member for serving alcohol to minors.

Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar confirmed that the father of the accused has been arrested after he attempted to evade capture. He mentioned that the father was detained from Maharashtra’s Sambhajinagar in the morning and was formally arrested after being brought to Pune.

Among those arrested were Pralhad Bhutada, owner of Cosie, and Sandip Sangale, owner of Blak Club. The Pune Police Commissioner added that the license holders of two restaurants and one more person were arrested late last night and would be produced in court today.

The minor’s father, a prominent real estate developer in Pune, reportedly manages a famous club and has built a star hotel in addition to several significant projects. The Pune Police have booked the aforesaid people under the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA) and the Juvenile Justice Act (JJA) for failing in their duties as guardians and for allowing the minor to drive without a license.

The Yerawada police arrested the father for permitting the minor to drive, while the restaurant owners and staff were charged for serving liquor to the minor. The Police have invoked sections 3, 5, and 199A of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, and sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The action was taken after police found that the Porsche, purchased in March, had not been registered. 

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra assembly Vijay Wadettiwar demanded a judicial inquiry into the accident. He said that there is a question mark on Pune Police’s investigation, therefore a judicial inquiry should be conducted in this case.

He further pointed out that the police have reported that the alcohol test of the accused in the Pune accident was negative, but the CCTV footage of the accused, who is a minor, is drunk and that the report is raising a question mark on the police investigation.

In an effort to ensure the safety and convenience of piligrims, the district authorities of Uttarkashi have issued an order to curb the movement of horses and mules on the Shri Yamunotri Dham foot pilgrimage route.

The District Magistrate Dr. Meherban Singh Bisht issued an order that the maximum number of horses and mules going from Janki Chatti to Yamunotri and vice versa has been limited to 800. Additionally, the time for their movement is restricted to between 4 a.m. and 5 p.m. The District Magistrate has instructed the relevant departments and officials to promptly execute the above-mentioned orders and see to it that they are followed by all. He has also instructed the relevant department and officials to promptly execute the mentioned order.

On May 19, a significant number of devotees visited the holy sites of Gangotri and Yamunotri Dhams in Uttarakhand. By 2 p.m. on Sunday, approximately 10,000 devotees worshipped at Gangotri Dham, while 28,000 pilgrims were en route to Gangotri. Similarly, at Yamunotri Dham, 8,500 people had worshipped, and 20,000 individuals were progressing along the Yamunotri route from various stops.

The order also imposes a complete ban on the movement of horses, mules, and sticks beyond the Ghoda Padav in Shri Yamunotri Dham. Violators will be punishable under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as per the DM’s order. This decision was prompted by a joint report submitted by the Barkot’s Sub-District Magistrate, Deputy Superintendent of Police, and Uttarkashi Additional Chief Officer of the District Panchayat. The report emphasized the need for crowd control to safeguard pilgrims, lives, and property.

The Char Dham Yatra, which includes sites like Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Bedrinath, began on May 10 this year. Uttarakhand witnesses a peak in pilgrimage season during the summers, drawing thousands of devotees to these sacred destinations.

BJP on Monday issued a show cause notice to former Union Minister Jayant Sinha for not participating in the Lok Sabha elections after Manish Jaiswal was declared candidate from the Hazaribagh Lok Sabha seat and thereby maligning the party’s image. Jayant Sinha is the son of former union finance minister Yashwant Sinha and is the sitting MP of Hazaribag. Sinha did not participate in elections in Hazaribag Lok Sabha seat.

Sinha has been accused of not paying attention to his organizational duties and did not participate in the election campaigning since Jaiswal’s candidacy was announced. His absence during elections in Hazaribag Lok Sabha seat on Monday has further intensified the situation in BJP. The notice issued on Monday requires Sinha to provide an explanation within 2 days, as per instructions from state BJP president and former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi. Sahu said further actions will depend on Sinha’s response.

Attempts were made to reach him for his comments but Sinha remained unavailable and did not respond to calls and messages. Earlier Sinha took to X and expressed his desire to shift his focus towards combating global climatic change and highlighting his attention to continue working with economic and governance issues.

In the past Hazaribag has been represented by both Yashwant Sinha and his son Jayant Sinha and holds substantial political weight in Jharkhand. In the 2019 general elections Jayant Sinha was victorious by a margin of 4.79 lakh votes and defeated Congress’s Gopal Sahu. Jaiswal whose nomination sparked controversy had earlier contested elections from the Mandu assembly seat on a JVM ticket.

 Earlier Jayant Sinha has served on India’s council of ministers from 2014 and 2019, and also as the minister of state for finance and minister of state of civil aviation. The BJP MP is also known for helping launch the UDAN regional connectivity scheme that increased the number of operational airports in India by 50% in 3 years.