Pune: About 15 years ago, Pune real estate magnate Surendra Kumar Agrawal was accused of conspiring to kill Ajay Bhosale — a former Pune corporator and now city president of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena — in collusion with underworld figure Chhota Rajan.
Fast forward to the present, he is in the crosshairs of the law again. On Saturday, the Pune City Police arrested him for helping his 17-year-old grandson, who was allegedly drunk and speeding a Porsche car that killed two software engineers in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar around 2.30 am on 19 May. He was presented in court and sent to police custody till 28 May.
Initially, the defense claimed the family chauffeur was behind the wheel. However, the police have refuted this claim and arrested the grandfather for allegedly “kidnapping and detaining the driver in an attempt to change the actual driver behind the wheel”.
After the accident, the driver employed by the Agrawal family was asked to take the blame to “protect the teenager in question”, Pune Police claimed Friday, adding that attempts were made to show that the driver, an adult, was at the wheel and not the teen.
“During our investigation, it has clearly emerged that the juvenile was driving the car and we have already collected all the necessary chronological evidence. For example, when the juvenile left the house, the entry on the security register shows that he left with the car,” Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar told the media Friday.
He added the police are investigating these angles and would take action against those who made such attempts, under IPC section 201 (destruction of evidence).
Meanwhile, the remand of the minor’s father, Vishal Agrawal, and five others ended Friday and they were produced before a local court.
While the prosecution sought to extend their police custody for ongoing investigations, the court instead placed Vishal Agrawal and the others, including employees from two establishments that served the minor alcohol, in 14-day judicial custody.
Following the accident, the minor was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), which granted him bail within 15 hours, while asking him to write a 300-word essay. However, this led to public uproar and a subsequent police review appeal, after which the JJB Wednesday remanded the teen to an observation home till 5 June.
Also Read: 17-yr-old ‘should be tried as adult’ — Pune cops on accident involving Porsche that claimed 2 lives
Charges, evidence & ‘preferential treatment’
The case has seen its share of controversy and scrutiny. Initially, the police faced criticism for procedural lapses, prompting them to add IPC Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) to the FIR amid public pressure.
“We have the CCTV footage of him (juvenile) drinking liquor in the pub. The point of saying this is that our case does not depend on the blood report alone as we have other evidence as well,” Commissioner Kumar told the media.
He further admitted to lapses in the beginning by some police officers while registering the case and said action would be taken against them for destruction of evidence.
“We are building a watertight case here. We are trying to build a case around how the teen was in his senses when the accident happened. He (juvenile) was fully in his senses, had full knowledge that due to his conduct, such an accident, where section 304 is applicable, can happen,” Kumar said.
However, there were allegations of preferential treatment given to the juvenile, including claims that he was served fast food in custody. To this, Kumar said an ACP-rank officer is investigating the claim. “We have clearly said that a pizza party didn’t happen at the police station. But yes, something had happened, for which we have initiated an internal investigation. We have already filed a case against the father of the accused and the bar owners. The technical analysis of the evidence is underway,” he added.
On allegations regarding a delay in the blood alcohol test of the juvenile, Kumar said the minor was sent to Sassoon Hospital around 9 am Sunday after an offence was registered. “There was a delay in taking blood samples as they were collected at 11 pm but the blood report is not the pillar of our case,” the officer said.
“As a pre-emptive measure, extra blood samples were collected for testing at another lab to ensure both samples and DNA reports were of the same person. We have not received the blood reports but the process is being expedited,” he explained, adding that CCTV footage and preliminary investigation were enough to make the case watertight.
Meanwhile, speaking to ThePrint, Congress MLA Ravindra Dhangekar, who has been vocal about this case from the get-go, alleged that the “police has been managed”.
“The family has been engaged in dubious business for long. They have been managing the Pune Municipal Corporation for a long time, and that is why I feel that even in this case, they have been managed. Otherwise, how else did he (juvenile) get bail? Why did they (police) not apply the right sections in the beginning,” Dhangekar asked.
Dhangekar even protested outside the Police Commissioner’s office Friday.
However, Kumar denied these allegations and said an ACP-level officer is being entrusted with the probe to ascertain if there was any attempt to tamper with or destroy evidence.
“So it is not correct to say there was pressure on police or dereliction on the part of cops. But a probe is underway to find out why IPC section 304 was not added in the first place,” he added.
It has also been alleged that NCP (Ajit Pawar) MLA Sunil Tingre rushed to the police station the same night and allegedly pressured the police.
To this, Tingre claimed Thursday that, around 3 am Sunday, he received a call from his assistant telling him about the accident in his constituency. He also later admitted that, among the many phone calls he received, one was from Vishal Agrawal, who told him that his son had been beaten up by a crowd and taken to the police station.
“Before entering politics, I worked in Agrawal’s company as an engineer. That is how I know him and he is also my voter. But other than that nothing else. I even told the family member that night that since the matter is serious, they have to go as per the procedure,” Tingre told reporters.
On reports that Vadgaon Sheri MLA Tingre had intervened to ensure the juvenile gets favourable treatment from police, Kumar said, “He (Tingre) had come to the police station, but it won’t be correct to say that the direction of the police investigation was impacted due to this.”
Also Read: Pune Porsche accident has clear message for Indians—if you’re powerful, law is optional
Clout of Agrawal family involved in Pune Porsche case
The Agrawal family’s legacy in real estate dates back four decades, with Bramhadutt Agrawal, father of Surendra Kumar Agrawal, laying the foundation for Bramha Corp, known for its prime real estate projects such as the Residency Club in Pune, bringing hospitality brand Le Meridien (now Sheraton Grand) to Pune and F Residences in Kalyani Nagar developed in collaboration with FashionTV, among others.
The Agrawal brothers of Bramha Corp split in 2010 as a result of which Surendra Kumar Agrawal set up Bramha Multicon, Bramha Multispaces and Bramha Leisures.
As the police started collecting evidence, one case involving Surendra Kumar Agrawal, who stood as a surety while getting bail for his grandson, came to light.
The 76-year-old was chargesheeted in a case for allegedly attempting to murder Ajay Bhosale. He is currently out on anticipatory bail granted by the Bombay High Court.
Meanwhile, the case involving the Porsche has unearthed further controversies. Sonali Tanpure, wife of NCP MLA Prajakt Tanpure, indirectly criticised the juvenile involved, recounting her decision to withdraw her son from the same school.
In a series of posts on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), she wrote, “The minor in question in the incident studied in the same class as her son and he had to suffer a lot due to some of those boys. I had complained to their parents about them.”
“However, I did not get the desired response. In the end, I had to remove my son from the school due to the constant harassment he faced from his classmates. All those incidents still have an impact on his heart. If necessary and prompt steps had been taken to correct the bad behaviour of these boys at the appropriate time, this serious crime would not have taken place,” she added.
कल्याणीनगर येथील कार ॲक्सीडेंट नंतर पुन्हा एकदा त्या गोष्टी आठवल्या…
संबंधित घटनेतील मुलगा हा माझ्या मुलासोबत एकाच वर्गात शिकत होता. त्यावेळी त्यापैकी काही मुलांकडून माझ्या मुलाला खूप त्रास झाला होता. या मुलांची तक्रार मी त्यांच्या पालकांकडे केली होती.
— Sonali Tanpure (@TanpureSonali) May 21, 2024
Another prominent builder from Pune told ThePrint that “the family was high on money.”
“Wish they had given some teachings to their son, then this would have been avoided,” the builder said.
Amid the row, Asim Sarode, intervener in the case from the victim’s side, highlighted the importance of individual accountability while cautioning against generalising the family’s character.
“Every person is independent and distinct from one another. While discussing the minor or deciding his character, we cannot do character assassination of the family in general, however, when we see a trend, it becomes a deciding factor,” Sarode told ThePrint.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
Also Read: Pune’s no longer a Brahmin citadel. How changing demographics have altered BJP’s politics