A local court in Vadodara on Saturday extended the police remand of Rakshit Chaurasia, a law student accused of causing a fatal car accident, by two days. Chaurasia allegedly killed one person and injured seven others in the incident that occurred on Thursday night. The police sought the extension, citing the need to investigate several aspects of the case. Initially, the court had granted a one-day custody of the accused.
Meanwhile, Vadodara’s Commissioner of Police transferred three Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASI) attached to the Karelibaug police station for violating standard investigation procedures by allowing the accused to speak with external media. The officers—Shailendrasinh Ranjitsinh, Tersinh Mavjibhai, and Jitendra Babubhai—were reassigned to the traffic department.
Commissioner Komar stated, “In a deviation from the standard investigating procedure, the accused was allowed to interact with external media and so, three ASI were transferred to traffic department… The police are conducting a detailed exercise to collect scientific, oral, physical and medical evidence in the case…”
Cops reconstruct crime scene
On Saturday, the Vadodara city police also completed the reconstruction of the crime scene with Chaurasia. According to Komar, the reconstruction took place in two phases. Chaurasia was taken to the accident site on Saturday afternoon following a visit to SSG Hospital, where he was treated for chest pain and injuries sustained during the accident. A large crowd gathered at the scene as police worked to piece together the events leading to the crash.
Komar explained, “We had conducted a reconstruction on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday after being granted the remand. A major reconstruction was completed during th night to understand the lighting and other conditions during the accident… We also took him to th e spot in the afternoon.”
Later on Saturday, Chaurasia, appearing unable to walk, was brought to court accompanied by two policemen. Karelibaug police requested additional time to investigate the sequence of events leading to the accident.
Vadodara’s fatal car crash
The crash, described as a “matter of seconds,” occurred when Chaurasia, a student of MS University, struck three two-wheelers within a 250-meter stretch from Chandravali Society Circle to the Amrapali Complex in Vadodara’s busy Karelibaug area on Thursday night.
Witnesses reported that the impact, the screeching vehicle and victims’ cries were followed by eerie silence before Chaurasia stepped out of his car. According to the police remand application, Chaurasia allegedly shouted “another round” after exiting the vehicle. He was then caught and beaten by locals.
An FIR was filed at Karelibaug police station by Ashish Shah, whose wife, Nisha, and children, Rency and Jamie, are receiving treatment at Zydus Hospital. Shah recounted, “The rampage only ended when the car finally came to a stop. By then, three two-wheelers and eight people had been struck. Hemali Patel died on the spot.”
Eyewitness account of the crash
Shah, an eyewitness, recalled that his wife and children had gone for a short ride around 11 PM on Thursday. While he waited at the gate of Deepavali Housing Colony, Nisha took the children on her two-wheeler. Moments later, he witnessed a speeding black car crash into a two-wheeler near Chandravali Circle before hitting his wife’s vehicle and another two-wheeler carrying a man and a woman.
“A few minutes later, I saw a speeding black four-wheeler crashing into a two-wheeler near Chandravali Circle. My wife was returning from Chandravali Circle towards our housing colony, when the car hit her two-wheeler too and then a third two-wheeler, on which a woman and a man were travelling…,” Shah said.
Describing the traumatic scene, Shah added, “My daughter Rency was thrown to the ground and my son Jamie flung to the ground. My wife was dragged with her bike for a few metres before the car crashed into the third two-wheeler. Thereafter, the hood of the car opened all of a sudden the vehicle halted and did not move further…”
Bystanders quickly rushed to help and called an ambulance, while Chaurasia and his passenger allegedly caused a commotion. Shah recalled that the accused, appearing disoriented, walked away chanting ‘Om Namah Shivay’ before being caught by locals.
Shah stated, “The ambulance rushed my wife and children to SSG Hospital. In the emergency ward, I saw my wife with grievous injuries on the head, thighs and the right leg. My daughter Rency had sustained serious injuries on the head, the back of the knees, and above the eyes. My son Jamie had injuries on the right hand, right leg and back. At the hospital, we also learnt about the death of Hemaliben Patel. Her husband Puravbhai was admitted to the ICU with critical injuries…”
The FIR includes the names of other victims—Vikas Kevalani, Jayesh Kevalani, and Komal Kevalani. Acquaintances of the Shah family reported that Nisha sustained extensive muscle and vein damage in her thighs, requiring multiple surgeries and a lengthy rehabilitation process.
One acquaintance commented, “…it appears that the driver would not have stopped the car, had it not come to a halt… The victims are seriously injured and one of them died on the spot…the sentence should be nothing less than a life imprisonment…”
University’s response
MS University management clarified that since Chaurasia’s arrest was related to an incident outside campus, disciplinary action against him is not currently under consideration.
“Rakshit Chaurasiya is a student of Semester 8 of the LL.B. programme. As such in the past, there has never been any action or complaint against the student on the university campus for any indiscipline. Regarding the present case of the Vadodara city police, the university is governed by her rule and statute. For incidents outside the campus of the university, the case is with the city police… The university cannot initiate an action at the moment. If in the future, any such guidance is received from the higher authorities, decisions will be taken in accordance,” Prof Hitesh D Raviya, OSD (Public Relations and Communication), MSU was quoted as saying in The Indian Express report.
