In the aftermath of the car crash in Thakurpukur market on Sunday morning, which claimed a life and injured several other persons, a wave of questions and concerns is emerging from Tollywood and social media.
A day after a vegetable vendor was mowed down and eight others were injured by a car allegedly driven by TV serial director Siddhant Das, the 35-year-old was sent to police custody till April 10.
On Sunday morning around 9 am, the director’s car allegedly veered into a crowded Kolkata market after he reportedly lost control of the wheel. Sources in the police said that Das was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, and lost control of his black SUV while travelling from Bakrahat to Gariahat.
Following Das’ arrest, the spotlight has now turned to the other occupant of the vehicle, Shriya Basu, an associate producer, who was released by the police. Actors and social media user are questioning the reason behind her release and demanding clarity on the sequence of events leading up to the incident.
While the driver, Siddhant Das, remains in custody, police justified Basu’s acquittal: “The investigation is ongoing and it is not over yet. Also, she is not directly involved in the crime.”
Famous actress Rituparna Sengupta told mediapersons on Tuesday, “Drink and drive is never the right thing. It is quite detrimental because driving needs more alertness and it endangers life.”
Swastika Mookherjee, another renowned Bengali actor, expressed her shock and anger at the incident and the subsequent handling of the case on social media on Monday. “I knew until now that drunk driving is a very serious crime. If you get caught, the police don’t listen to anything. Any kind of power — you know who I am, you know whose son I am — this kind of attitude doesn’t work. You straight head to jail. In Kolkata, they say the police are very strict about this. That’s what I know and that’s what I have seen. Strict checking, no compromise, even if there are women in the car. The woman who fled the market hasn’t been caught. Who is she? Why was she released? A no-entry vehicle entered the street and killed one person, and the rest are in the hospital.”
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Mookherjee further questioned the “discrepancies” in the information surrounding the incident, stating, “There are so many reports circulating that it is difficult to know exactly how many (casualties were there). But is the death of one person a joke? In such anarchy, if people who drive recklessly while drunk and kill people are not punished, and if they get a fine at night and go home and sleep peacefully, then there is no need for laws or traffic laws. They will do whatever they want, run over people with cars, kill them, rape them and nothing will happen.”
“The driver of the car and the two women in the car are equally guilty. Strict action should be taken against them… There is only one law for everyone and that is strict punishment,” she posted.
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