Son of Maharashtra BJP chief did not eat beef, say police

Nagpur: Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule's son Sanket, who is in the eye of the storm after his luxury car rammed into several vehicles in Nagpur, had not eaten beef at a bar in the city before his vehicle crashed, police said on Wednesday.

However, he consumed alcohol and some mutton and chicken dishes there, police said.

The police released this information after Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut had claimed earlier the same day that Sanket had consumed beef in the bar.

Sanket's Audi crashed into several vehicles in Ramdaspeth area of ​​Nagpur early Monday morning, injuring two persons. Though Sanket was present in the car, he was not behind the wheel at the time of the accident, police said earlier.

The driver of the luxury car, Arjun Hawre, was arrested on Monday evening and later released on bail (at the local police station).

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Rahul Madne denied that Bawankule and his friends were served beef at the bar. “We have found the bill which clearly shows that they were not served beef,” he said.

Another police official said, “Sanket and four of his friends dined at La Horee bar in Dharampeth area where they had roast mutton, mutton curry, chicken tikka and some vegetarian dishes like masala peanuts and fried cashews. They also ordered two bottles of liquor worth over Rs 12,000.”

Following the accident, Jitendra Sonkamble, whose vehicle was hit by the Audi, was charged with reckless driving and other offenses.

The accident spiraled into a major controversy ahead of the general elections, with the opposition accusing the Mahayuti government, of which the BJP is a part, of trying to save the senior politician's relatives by blaming the driver for the accident.