New Delhi: Maharashtra deputy CM and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar defended party MLA Sunil Tingre. Pawar called that allegations made against Tingre linking him to Pune Porsche crash baseless. Sunil Tingre has been accused of interferring in the case and ensuring that the accused gets favourable treatment from the Pune Police department.

Vadgaon Sheri MLA Sunil Tingre represents the constituency where the incident happened and hence we took stock of the situation, Ajit Pawar told reporters on Saturday. “Sunil Tingre is an MLA of the area where the incident took place. Whenever such incidents take place, the local MLA often visits the site. Did Sunil Tingre try to suppress the matter? The allegations against him are baseless," said Ajit Pawar defending his party MLA.

For the unversed, Tingre is at the centre of controversy for his visit to the Yerwada police station where the 17-year-old accused was taken. There are allegations that he exerted pressure on officials to handle the case leniently. Earlier, while speaking to Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar had admitted that Sunil Tingre visited Yerawada police station on the night of the mishap. Moreover, Tingre had also admitted that he visited the police station.

“He did visit the police station. I can’t stop him," Kumar told Arnab on LIVE TV. Amitesh Kumar said that any public representative has the right to visit police station, and the force cannot bar him from that. "You have to realize that a public representative have the right to visit the police station, we cannot bar his entry," Kumar told Arnab.

Ajit Pawar Clarifies on His Role in Pune Case

Ajit Pawar's role in the Pune case has also been a point of controversy as it has been alleged that he himself called up the Pune top cop. It has been alleged that Pawar had been trying to "manage the case". Asked about his calls to Pune top cop Amitesh Kumar in the aftermath of the incident, Ajit Pawar said, “I often call the commissioner of police over multiple issues but I haven't made a single call to him in this case.” 

Earlier, Amitesh Kumar had admitted that Pawar called him “seeking updates on the case”. “Ajit Pawar didn't speak to me on Day 1. On Day 2, however, all three of them – the Chief Minister and both the Deputy CMs – spoke with me, seeking an update on the matter,” Amitesh Kumar told Arnab.

Mother, Father, Grandfather Behind Bars 

Two IT professionals were killed in the early hours of May 19 in Kalyani Nagar in Pune after a Porsche allegedly being driven by the minor, who the police claim was drunk, rammed into their two-wheeler. However, no traces of alcohol was found during blood test. 

Later, it emerged that the minor's blood sample was swapped with that of his mother. The Pune Police arrested the minor's mother, Shivani Agarwal, on Saturday morning for allegedly swapping the blood samples. Minor's father and grandfather, Vishal and Surendra Agarwal are already in custody for threatening the driver.