In a significant development, the Maharashtra police have arrested two doctors from Pune’s Sassoon Hospital for allegedly manipulating the blood report of a 17-year-old involved in a fatal car crash. The incident, which occurred on May 19 in Kalyani Nagar, resulted in the deaths of two motorbike-borne software engineers.
The accused teenager, who was driving a Porsche during the crash, was initially taken to Sassoon Hospital for a medical examination. Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar revealed that the juvenile’s blood sample, which should have been used to determine alcohol content, was discarded and replaced with another person’s sample. This manipulation led to a false negative alcohol report in the minor’s initial forensic test.
Suspicions arose when discrepancies emerged between the first and second blood reports, with the latter indicating the presence of alcohol. DNA tests later confirmed that the blood samples were from different individuals, pointing to deliberate tampering by hospital personnel.
“On May 19, at around 11 AM, the blood sample taken at Sassoon Hospital was thrown into a dustbin, and another person’s sample was sent to the forensic lab,” stated Commissioner Kumar. “Chief Medical Officer Srihari Halnor replaced the sample under the instructions of Dr. Ajay Tawre, Head of the Forensic Medicine Department.”
Dr. Tawre and Dr. Halnor were arrested on charges of forgery and destruction of evidence under Sections 120B, 467, and 201 of the IPC. They are expected to appear in court later today. Authorities have also seized the hospital’s CCTV DVR to aid the investigation.
The incident has embroiled three generations of the Agarwal family, who now face various charges related to the Porsche crash. The teenager’s father, Vishal Agarwal, and grandfather, Surendra Agarwal, were previously arrested. Vishal Agarwal faces charges under the Juvenile Justice Act for allowing his unlicensed son to drive, while Surendra Agarwal is accused of illegally confining the family’s driver.
In a bid to mislead the investigation, the family’s driver initially claimed responsibility for the crash. However, police evidence confirmed that the 17-year-old was driving the car and was fully aware of the potential consequences of his actions. This led to the application of IPC Section 304, dealing with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The case has sparked widespread outrage, especially after the Juvenile Justice Board initially granted bail to the minor and only required him to write an essay on road accidents. Following public outcry, he was sent to an observation home until June 5.
In related developments, Pune police have suspended two officers from Yerwada police station for delayed reporting and dereliction of duty. They have also summoned a rapper from Madhya Pradesh who created a fake video about the accused minor, asking him to appear for an inquiry.
