Pune Porsche accident: Congress organises essay-writing competition in riposte to JJB’s ‘lenient’ decision
Topics for the competition included ‘If my father was a builder’, ‘Ill effects of alcohol’ and ‘Is this administration sleeping?
To maintain pressure on the ruling Mahayuti government to ensure justice in the Pune Porsche accident case, the Congress’s youth wing held an essay writing competition on Sunday near the accident site. In this tragic incident, a 17-year-old, driving an unregistered Porsche while under the influence of alcohol, killed two people in the Kalyani Nagar area.
Over 100 people, predominantly youngsters, took part in the essay competition. The topics included “If My Father Was a Builder,” “Ill Effects of Alcohol,” and “Is This Administration Sleeping?” among others.
The party also announced cash prizes of ₹11,000, ₹7,000, and ₹5,000 for the top three essays.
A Youth Congress leader mentioned that the essays would be submitted to the Home Minister and the Pune Commissioner of Police.
The essay competition was a response to the Juvenile Justice Board’s initial decision to grant bail to the minor less than 15 hours after the May 19 accident. The JJB, in its bail order, had instructed the teenager to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, which sparked widespread outrage among citizens over the Board’s extreme leniency.
This led the Board to revoke the boy’s bail and send him to an Observation Home till June 5.
Pune Congress leader Sangeeta Tiwari criticized the JJB’s initial decision, calling it “an extreme mockery of justice.”
“Tomorrow, anyone could kill people with their car and be let off with a mere essay of 300 or 600 words due to their family’s connections. This is a laughable decision by the JJB and an extreme mockery of justice. There is intense anger among the youth, which is why our party’s youth wing organized this competition to get the government’s attention,” she said.
Congress MLA Ravindra Dhangekar from the Kasba Assembly constituency, who has been leading protests against the ‘pub culture’ in the city, urged authorities to take strict action against pubs and restaurants that violate norms by serving alcohol to minors and operating well beyond their closing hours.
The police have arrested the teenager’s father, realtor Vishal Agarwal, and his grandfather, Surendra Agarwal, in connection with the accident. Vishal Agarwal was charged under the Juvenile Justice Act for “exposing a child to danger” by giving the car to his son despite knowing he did not have a driving license.
Surendra Agarwal was arrested for the ‘illegal confinement’ of the driver and for coercing him to take the blame for his grandson’s actions.
