Porsche accident in Pune: Congress organizes essay competition in response to JJB’s ‘lenient’ decision

To keep up pressure on the ruling Mahayuti government to ensure justice in the Pune Porsche accident case, the youth wing of the Congress on Sunday organised an essay competition near the accident site where a 17-year-old driving an unregistered Porsche under the influence of alcohol killed two people in the Kalyani Nagar area.

Over 100 people, mostly teenagers, took part in the essay competition, which covered topics such as “If my father had been a construction worker,” “The harmful effects of alcohol,” and “Is this government asleep?”

The party also announced three cash prizes – Rs 11,000, Rs 7,000 and Rs 5,000 – for the three best essays.

A Youth Congress leader added that the entries would be sent to the Home Minister and the Pune Police Commissioner.

The essay contest was a response to the juvenile court’s initial decision to grant bail to the minor less than 15 hours after the accident on May 19. The juvenile court, in its bail order, had asked the teenager to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, sparking widespread outrage among citizens over the court’s extreme leniency.

This prompted the panel to revoke the boy’s bail and send him to an observation home until June 5.

Sangeeta Tiwari, leader of the Pune Congress, described the JJB’s original decision as “an extreme mockery of justice”.

“Tomorrow, anyone can crash their car and kill people and get away with writing an essay of 300 or 600 words, just because of their family connections. What a ridiculous decision by the JJB and an extreme mockery of the judiciary. The anger among the youth is great. That is why the youth organization of our party has organized this competition because we want to make the government sit up and take notice,” she said.

Congress MP Ravindra Dhangekar from Kasba constituency, who had led his party’s protests against “pub culture” in the city, urged the authorities to take strict action against pubs and restaurants that violate norms by serving alcohol to minors and staying open well beyond their closing hours.

Police have arrested the teenager’s father, real estate agent Vishal Agarwal, and his grandfather Surendra Agarwal in connection with the accident. The father has been charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act for “exposing a child to danger” by giving him the car despite knowing he did not have a driver’s license.

The teenager’s grandfather was arrested for “illegally detaining” the driver and forcing him to take responsibility for his grandson’s actions.