Drunk Nagpur man on joyride with pals runs over 17 on footpath, 2 dead | Nagpur News

NAGPUR: A woman and a man from a family belonging to the Bagadiya tribe of Rajasthan were killed and 15 others were injured when a car carrying six friends, allegedly drunk after partying at a dhaba, drove onto the footpath where they were sleeping near Dighori toll plaza in Nagpur shortly before midnight Sunday.
Bhushan Lanjewar, a qualified fire engineer who was allegedly driving a Hyundai Verna under the influence, and his friends – Vansh Zade, Sanmay Patrikar, Atharva Vanayat, Atharva Mogre and Hrushikesh Choubey – were arrested.Lanjewar and his friends, all engineering students or graduates, were charged under IPC Section 304 (II) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and other sections, police said Monday. They were remanded in police custody for two days, ending June 19.

Bhushan Lanjewar allegedly drove the vehicle back and forth over the sleeping family while attempting to escape. Kavita Bagadiya, who lost her husband, recounted the horror: “The car drove over us and reversed, crushing us again, before speeding away.”
The deceased were identified as Kantibai Bagadiya, 42, and Sitaram Bagadiya, 30. Seven of the injured are in critical condition in a hospital, while eight others were discharged after preliminary treatment. Among the injured are Sitaram’s wife Kavita and their daughters – Haseena, 4, and Sakina, 2. Other injured family members include 10-year-old Bhusya, Kavita, 32, Parsanbai, 22, Parbai, 18, Balku, 8, Golu, 16, and Hanuman, 32.
Some of the 30 Bagadiya community members were fortunate to escape unhurt as they were sleeping a short distance away. Two police officers narrowly avoided being run over while trying to intercept the speeding car near the toll plaza.
Witnesses said the car first crashed into a parked Swift Dzire, causing the Hyundai Verna’s front left tyre to burst. This led to Lanjewar losing control and driving onto the footpath where the family was sleeping.
Senior inspector Vijay Dighe of Wathoda police station said Lanjewar and his friends were intoxicated. Blood samples of all six have been sent to the regional forensic science laboratory.
According to police, the youths were celebrating Zade’s birthday, drinking at a dhaba in Hudkeshwar before embarking on a joyride on the outskirts of Nagpur.
Inspector Dighe said the driver was tracked down using CCTV footage and the vehicle’s registration number. Police have impounded the car for inspection by RTO experts. However, car owner Saurabh Kadukar has not been charged. “We asked for five days’ police remand (for the arrested six), but the court granted us two days,” Dighe said.