Guwahati: Popular Assamese film actress Nandini Kashyap was arrested on Wednesday in a hit-and-run case that led to the death of a 21-year-old in the Dakkhingaon area of Guwahati.
Nandini played the lead role in the recent box office hit ‘Rudra’.
The accident occurred in the wee hours of Friday (July 25). After knocking down the youth, who was on a motorcycle, Nandini apparently attempted to escape in an SUV that she was driving. The victim’s friends chased her down though.
The youth was taken to hospital in a serious condition where he died. He has been identified as Samiul Haque, a polytechnic student who was returning home after repairing streetlights in the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) area.
The police have claimed that this is not the first time that the popular actress has been hauled up for traffic offences. In the past, she has been booked for rash driving and overspending.
Nandini was detained on Tuesday after Haque’s death and formally arrested on Wednesday after a long session of grilling. She was arrested at 1.30 am on Wednesday, Jayanta Sarathi Borah, DC (Traffic), Guwahati Police, said.
“We produced her in court and sought five days of police remand,” he said.
“Haque, who was riding the two-wheeler, was critically injured. He was taken to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for treatment. From there, he was taken to Apollo Hospital for advanced treatment. However, he succumbed to his injuries there on Tuesday,” Borah added.
An FIR was lodged against Nandini immediately after the accident was reported but the Sections were bailable. Non-bailable Sections were added after Haque’s death. The actress was summoned to the police station on Wednesday and arrested later.
Haque was a student of the Nalbari Polytechnic Institute. The CCTV footage reveals that the SUV didn’t stop after running him over. This was corroborated by eye-witnesses.
The victim’s friends chased down the SUV to an apartment complex at Kahilipara and confronted her.
“The vehicle was penalised several times in the past for speeding and many challans were issued in different districts,” Borah confirmed.
Nandini spoke to reporters after her arrest and said: “This was an unfortunate accident. Nobody wants to run over somebody. I have been co-operating with the police from the start. I was the one who made the first call to the police station after the accident. I also turned up by myself at the police station on Tuesday after being called.”