The BMW hit-and-run case in Mumbai has caused irreparable damage for everyone involved, starting with the innocent woman who lost her life and the impending legal ordeal facing key accused Mihir Shah and his family.
While Mihir has been sentenced to six days' judicial custody, his father, Rajesh Shah, has been sacked by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde from the post of deputy leader of the Shiv Sena’s Palghar unit.
Earlier, Shinde, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), had said "such misuse of power from the influential and miscarriages of justice" will not be tolerated by his government and promised to implement “harsher penalties” for offenders.
Both developments come a day after Mihir was arrested on July 9 from an apartment in Maharashtra's Virar area, about 65 kilometers from Mumbai, after evading arrest for nearly 72 hours.
Early on July 7, Mihir was allegedly driving his BMW in a drunken state with his driver, Rajrishi Bidawat, sitting beside him. Kaveri was riding pillion with her husband Pradeep on Annie Besant Road around 5:30 am when the luxury car rearended their scooter.
She was dragged for over a kilometer, with her saree stuck in the luxurious machine. While Pradeep got away with minor injuries, Kaveri was declared dead at the hospital.
Mihir was produced before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Sewri) SP Bhosale on July 10 and sent to police remand till July 16.
Police sources told Education Post that Mihir has admitted he was at the wheel of the car when the accident occurred but maintains he wasn't drunk at the time.
So far, the police have taken 12 people into custody, including Mihir's mother and two sisters, who they believe, helped Mihir evade arrest for almost three days.
Mihir's father was also arrested on July 8 by the Mumbai Police along with his driver on changes of destroying evidence. Rajesh was later released on bail, while the driver was sent to police custody till July 11.
All three accused, Mihir Shah, Rajesh Shah and Bidawat, have been charged under several provisions of the new criminal code of Bharat Nyay Sanhita (BNS). Rajesh was granted bail because the court felt the charge of culpable homicide did not apply to him.
According to the investigation so far, it is clear that Mihir swapped seats with his driver after hitting the scooter and driving with Kaveri stuck near the vehicle's wheel for several hundred meters. The CCTV procured by the police shows Mihir pulling the unconscious, but still alive, woman out from under the car and leaving her on the side of the road.
The incident gets horrific further, as Bidawat then allegedly reverses the car to run over the unconscious victim one more time before speeding off and out of the CCTV's view.
Mihir and his driver then went to Kala Nagar in Bandra, where Mihir abandoned the car and his driver after removing the vehicle's number plate to avoid being caught.
Investigations have also revealed that soon after the accident, Mihir spoke to his girlfriend 40 times before taking an autorickshaw to her house in Goregaon. The police said that the woman is now being questioned about the information that Mihir shared with her and whether he was drunk when he spoke to her and met her.
Police sources said it is highly likely she will be charged in the case for helping the accused.
Mihir called his sister to his girlfriend's house, from where the three left for his sister's house in Borivali, according to the police.
From Borivali, Mihir's family― his mother Meena, sisters Kinjal and Pooja ― along with two friends left for a resort in Thane's Shahpur area in an Audi car. The three women of the Shah family have also been detained for questioning and will also likely be charged.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Police, working on a double shift to nab the accused, learned the identity of one of the friends ― Avdeep ― who was accompanying Mihir and tracked his number. But his number was switched off.
Then late on July 8, Mihir and Avdeep left the Shahpur resort and reached Virar, where his friend turned on his mobile phone for just 15 minutes, giving cops a window to track them down. Avdeep, too, is one of the 12 people in police detention.
Pradeep, the deceased victim's husband, felt that the accused, the son of a powerful politician, would get away easily. But that seems to have proved wrong.
"He (the accused) was arrested after three days. What does this mean? If he wasn't an alcoholic, if he hadn't taken drugs, then why did he go into hiding? Why was he absconding for three days?” a visibly emotional Pradeep told ANI. “Now, after three days there won't be any traces of alcohol in his body, and he will have 20 lawyers with him. We are poor, who will give us justice? Today he went to jail, day after tomorrow he will be produced in court, and he will get bail. The case will go on and on and everything will cool down.”
"What will we do? From where will we arrange the money and a lawyer? These party leaders will do nothing. This is the son of their leader only. He is a big person who can buy anyone. Who is there on our side? he asked.
The hit-and-run case, with immense media glare, has turned the tables on the politically powerful Shah family.
While that was happening, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on July 10 demolished the Vice-Global Tapas Bar in Mumbai's Juhu Tara Road, which Mihir had visited along with his friend a night before the accident.
The BMC’s decision to raze the bar to the ground comes as part of broader efforts to enforce regulations and penalize establishments that violate laws. Authorities reported that the bar had been operating in contravention of several regulations, leading to this severe action.
In India, the legal drinking age varies by state, with most states setting it at either 18 or 21 years old. Interestingly, in Maharashtra, while the minimum age to purchase alcohol is 18, the minimum age to consume it is 25. This discrepancy in the law creates confusion and potential legal challenges for establishments.
All efforts to contact the owner of the now-demolished Vice-Global Tapas Bar failed. The owner's number was switched off.
But other bar owners had a thing or two to say.
"We take strict steps to check the age of our customers. Our staff is well-trained to check IDs carefully, and we use advanced technology to confirm everyone’s age. We never serve alcohol to anyone under 25, as the law requires," a bar owner in central Delhi's Connaught Place area who wished to remain anonymous told Education Post.
"We also work closely with local police to stay updated on the best practices and any new rules. We put up signs promoting responsible drinking and our staff steps in when needed. Our goal is to provide a safe and enjoyable place for everyone while following the law," he said.
Another bar owner in south Mumbai said, “We don't check everyone's ID every time someone comes, especially when there is a rush. Also, most people carry fake IDs which are impossible to detect. Either way, we try to serve people above the legal drinking age, but they may pass that drink to an underage person, and that person could very well go out and run over someone with his car. In that case, what can we do?”
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