7 hours Ago
The driver of the speeding Porsche that killed a 27-year-old scooterist in Sector 4 on Monday evening was arrested but bailed out within hours, sparking outrage as the victim’s family questioned the swift bail and demanded stricter charges against the accused. The driver was identified as real estate baron Sanjeev Babuta, 49, the director of Subhash Mangat & Group, who resides in Sector 8, Panchkula. He was present at the scene when the police arrived after the accident.
The deceased, Ankit Aswal, 27, a native of Uttarakhand, worked at a grocery company in Manimajra and was heading home after completing his shift when the tragedy struck. His family was eagerly waiting to celebrate his birthday on March 11 when they received the tragic news. Victim’s sister, Sonica Aswal, who reached the police station along with a dozen women on Tuesday morning, expressed shock over the police granting bail to the accused within hours.
She accused the authorities of going soft on the driver despite the brutality of the accident. “We had bought a cake for him and were supposed to celebrate his birthday. Instead, we are left collecting his severed body parts.
He was amputated in a terrible accident. This is not just an accident; this is murder. We demand justice,” she said, breaking down in tears.
Sonica further lashed out at the legal system, questioning why a reckless driver, who dragged her brother for several metres and left him mutilated, was allowed to walk free so quickly. The case was registered under Section 106 (1) (causing death by negligence), 281 (rash driving) and 125(a) (causing hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). Section 106 is a bailable offence.
The family staged a protest at Government Multi Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, and refused to take the body for cremation. Terminder Singh Chaudhary, a lawyer at the district court, Chandigarh, called for stricter legal action, stating, “A fatal crash of such severity, where the driver was speeding, driving on the wrong side, and dragged the victim for a considerable distance, should not be treated as mere negligence. This goes beyond a typical accident—it exhibits a reckless disregard for human life.
The case warrants a stricter section of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under 105 of BNS, which is non-bailable.” “Earlier, such cases used to be registered under Section 304 (culpable homicide of the IPC, but under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), it falls under Section 105, which applies when an act is committed with the knowledge that it is likely to cause death but without the intention to cause death. Driving a high-powered car like a Porsche demands utmost caution, as even a moment of reckless maneuvering can have devastating consequences,” he added.
Neither Babuta nor his group were available for comments. The speeding Porsche, allegedly driven recklessly and on the wrong side, crashed into two Activa scooters -- one being driven by Ankit and the other which had two female riders, near Sector 4/9 dividing road on Monday. The two injured women, Soni, 32, a resident of Adarsh Nagar, Naya Gaon, Mohali, and her niece Gurleen, 24, who resides at BED College Servant Room, Sector 20, were rushed to the hospital and are reported to be stable.
According to Soni’s statement, she was heading home after finishing her duty at a private dental clinic in Sector 32 riding her Activa with her niece Gurleen as a pillion rider. They were traveling from Sector 20 towards Naya Gaon and had reached the Sector 4/9 Dividing Road, where they noticed Ankit Aswal riding his Activa ahead of them. At approximately 7:50-8 pm, a white Porsche approached from the wrong side at high speed, coming from the CITCO petrol pump, Sector 4.
The luxury car collided head-on with Ankit’s Activa, throwing him onto the car’s front windshield. However, instead of stopping, the Porsche driver continued driving, dragging Ankit’s body along for a 50 metres, leading to severing of his lower body. The speeding car then crashed into Soni and Gurleen’s Activa, causing them to fall onto the road.
The Porsche finally rammed into an electric pole and a signboard, coming to a halt. A police PCR vehicle, which was patrolling nearby, reached the scene within minutes. Officers rushed the injured to General Hospital, Sector 16, where Ankit was declared brought dead.
The three vehicles involved—the Porsche and two Activas—were seized and taken to the Sector 3 police station..
