Gujarat – Ahmedabad Police forced the father of a deceased man to book an FIR against his own son for hitting two cows and dying while speedily riding bike.
Sanjay Patel, 28, passed away due to brain hemorrhaged last September while he was normally riding his bike on Ahmedabad highway. Instead of consoling the family, Ahmedabad Police have forced the father of Patel to file a case against his own son under section 279 of Indian Penal Code, which means “death due to rash driving”, but in this case the one who drove rashly died, no matter stray cows caused the man to bump into them and die.
Patel, a resident of Kalol, worked at a car dealership. The accident occurred near Chharodi on SG Road. The traffic department’s deputy commissioner of police (administration), Tejas Patel, said: “Across the 14 traffic police stations in the city, not a single case has been registered under provisions of accidental death.” He said so far only FIRs under various sections of road accidents have been registered.
Sanjay Patel’s father, Mahesh, told media that he was called by A-Traffic Police for interrogation and to file a case against his own son.
“I was told to sign the FIR which said that my son was responsible for his own death because he was speeding,” Mahesh Patel said.
“The stray cows suddenly appeared on the road and my son did not have any time to react. Isn’t it strange that instead of punishing cattle owners who let their animals stray, my dead son was blamed?”, he argued.