Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police on Tuesday arrested a law student, Soumya Ranjan Rath, for allegedly causing the death of an AC mechanic while driving a luxury Mercedes-Benz under the heavy influence of alcohol.
The fatal crash occurred around 10:30 pm on Monday when the West Bengal-registered luxury car rammed into the motorcycle, which the victim, Devi Prasad Rawat, was riding near Shastri Nagar Square, dragging him for nearly 300 metres. The incident had triggered public outrage as locals intercepted the fleeing vehicle and clashed with its occupants before police intervened.
Zone-I ACP Ramesh Chandra Bisoi confirmed that a breathalyzer test conducted on Rath immediately after his detention recorded a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 127 mg/100ml, which is more than four times the legal limit of 30 mg/100ml. A case has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), slapping Rath with stringent charges, including Section 281, Section 106(1), and Section 105 for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, the latter of which carries a penalty ranging from five years to life imprisonment upon conviction, on basis of a complaint lodged by the victim’s wife, he stated.
According to eyewitness accounts, the vehicle rear-ended Routray’s motorcycle with such force that the two-wheeler was completely mangled, flinging the rider onto the road and causing fatal injuries. Passers-by and local residents immediately rushed to the spot and rushed the critically injured to Capital Hospital. However, doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Tension escalated when the Mercedes-Benz driver allegedly attempted to flee the scene. Enraged locals blocked the vehicle, detained the driver and a woman passenger inside, and tried to assault them. Kharavela Nagar Police immediately arrived at the scene, rescued the duo from the agitated crowd, and took them to the station for questioning. The rescue operation further fuelled the crowd’s anger, with many suspecting possible influence that could lead to the driver’s release. Protesters vandalised the vehicle, attempted to set it ablaze, and blocked the road, disrupting traffic in the area for nearly an hour.
Senior police officials later reached the spot, pacified the protesters, and assured them of strict legal action.
To reassure the public, ACP Biswal emphasised the department’s zero-tolerance policy toward drunk driving, announcing that the process to permanently cancel Rath’s valid driver’s licence has already begun. Furthermore, police are pulling GPS data to pinpoint the exact speed at the time of impact, promising a swift investigation and the timely filing of a charge sheet to ensure strict legal punishment, he added.
