NAVI MUMBAI: A police constable, who was serving as the driver of a police jeep attached to the Panvel city police station, has been booked for endangering the life and personal safety of others due to rash and negligent driving.
The incident occurred when the constable allegedly lost control of the police jeep, striking a 36-year-old man. The man had come in the way of the police jeep while attempting to escape when the police team conducted a raid in an open space near the Panvel flyover, where he and six others were gambling by playing cards.
The incident took place on Thursday around 4.50pm on the service lane near the DEd college, adjacent to the Nana Dharmadhikari flyover in Panvel.
The injured man, identified as Ashok Manjule, resides in the Laxmi Nagar slum area in Panvel. He has been admitted to Life Line Hospital in Panvel. An FIR has been registered against the accused constable, Amol Doiphode, under relevant IPC sections, following a complaint by constable Chandrashekhar Chaudhari (35).
According to the FIR, on Thursday evening, Police Inspector (Crime) Bagwan of Panvel city police station instructed constable Chandrashekhar Chaudhari to bring the police jeep near Suruchi Hotel. Constable Chaudhari brought along constable Doiphode as the jeep driver. At around 4.50pm, while they were driving on the Panvel flyover, they noticed several men sitting in an open space on the service road beneath the flyover and next to the gate of DEd college.
In response to this, PSI Govind Dabhade directed constable Doiphode to change the route to reach the gambling location. Doiphode drove down the flyover and made a right U-turn to reach the service road. When the men gambling at the spot saw the police jeep, they began running in different directions to avoid arrest. One of the gamblers came in the path of the police jeep, causing constable Doiphode to lose control of the vehicle, resulting in the collision with the man and the subsequent crash into the compound wall alongside the service road.
Due to severe injuries sustained by Manjule, including injuries to his head, above his left eye, chin, and right leg, the police team quickly transported him to the nearest Gandhi Hospital. Slum dwellers gathered at the hospital and identified the injured man as Ashok Manjule, also a resident of the slum area. Senior inspector Nitin Thakre also arrived at Gandhi Hospital, where the medical officer recommended transferring the patient to MGM Hospital in Kamothe. However, Manjule's family insisted on taking him to Life Line Hospital in Panvel. Consequently, the police team admitted Manjule to Life Line Hospital, where he is currently receiving treatment.