Pahalgam and After~I
“World listens to the language of peace only when it com - es from the position of power”, said Dr Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS chief, while speaking at a function recently at Jaipur.
The accident took a political turn with locals, supported by a few BJP activists, resorting to dharna at the accident site early in the morning before shifting to the Nahargarh Road police station.
Three people, including a middle-aged woman, were killed while at least six people were injured when a speeding car went on the rampage ramming into bikers and vehicles at multiple locations across Nahargarh Road in the walled-city area here late Monday night.
The accident took a political turn with locals, supported by a few BJP activists, resorting to dharna at the accident site early in the morning before shifting to the Nahargarh Road police station.
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According to the police and the eyewitnesses, Usman Khan (60), driving his car in a rash and negligent manner in an inebriated state, mowe passersby and hit vehicles that came his way on the Nahargarh Road, a densely populated area of the Pink City late Monday night. In the process, he hit at least nine people and several vehicles within half the range of a kilometre before smashing the car into a wall. On his way home, he reportedly hit some vehicles at the MI Road and Kishanpole Bazar too.
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Three of the injured in the incident, including Mamta Kanwar (50), and Avdhesh Pareek (35), succumbed to their injuries while the condition of the three others, who were being treated at the Trauma Hospital of the SMS Medical College here, is said to be serious.
Soon after the incident, panic-stricken people gathered at the accident site to protest against the rash driving of the drunken man (Usman Khan). Later, Usman, owner (CEO) of a local iron factory, was arrested.
Police officials saved the situation from turning ugly at night by pacifying the angry protestors. However, on Tuesday morning, the people, led by BJP leader and former Jaipur Mayor Jyoti Khandelwal, again sat on a dharna, demanding compensation and government jobs for the kin of the victim and a stern action against the guilty driver.
Soon, Jaipur Lok Sabha MP Manju Sharma and MLA Balmukundacharya (both from the BJP) and many other ruling party leaders joined the dharna.
The protesters also forced shut down of shops and business establishments in nearby markets and held a demonstration at the Chhoti Chaupar in support of the demand for compensation and government job for next of kin of the (deceased) victims and stringent punishment to the car owner.
For a long time, the errant car owner had been an active functionary of the Jaipur District Congress Committee (DCC) and was district vice-president. President DCC R R Tiwari has also removed the driver from the post and expelled him from the party.
A party delegation led by Tiwari also submitted a memorandum to the district collector for grant of compensation or ex-gratia to the victims.
By this evening, an understanding on a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to next of kin to each deceased and job to a family member in the state government on contract basis reached.
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