Maniac in car drags cop 100 meters

Dangling from window of car, traffic constable taken for roughest ride of his life as man at wheel of wrongly parked car rolls up window to trap policeman's hand and zooms off all because he's asked to show his licence

Dangling from window of car, traffic constable taken for roughest ride of his life as man at wheel of wrongly parked car rolls up window to trap policeman'su00a0hand and zooms offu00a0all because he's asked to show his licence

In a scene that seemed straight out of a Bollywood flick, a man drove his car for about 100 metres with a police constable hanging on to his window, minutes before a VIP convoy was to pass.

On Sunday night, Constable Govindrai Bhagat was on bandobast duty near Kharadi chowk for the wedding ceremony of minister Vikhe-Patil's daughter nearby.

The wireless indicated that Chief Minister Ashok Chavan who was in the city was about to pass and the police began clearing the road.



That's when the police noticed a Wagon R parked in the middle of the road.

Bhagat approached the man, identified as Kharadi resident Ravindra Baburao Shinde (39), sitting in the driver's seat and asked him to move his car towards the side of the road.

"He started arguing and we could see the convoy approaching. My senior told me to take the car towards the police chowky. I took him towards the side of the road and asked for his licence," said Bhagat.

That's when the horror began for Bhagat. "The man pressed a button and the windows rolled up.

Bhagat's hand was half in to collect the licence and it got stuck. The man then started laughing and started his car," said Vaishali Mule, assistant traffic inspector from Yerawada division who was present there.

Traffic Constable Govindrai Bhagat approaches a car parked in the middle of the road near Kharadi chowk, asks man at the wheel to move to the side of the road as Chief Minister's convoy is to pass that way

He dragged Bhagat in that position for nearly 100 metres. It was a horrid scene, we thought he might lose his hand."

After about 100 metres, the man told Bhagat he would teach him a lesson and started swerving his car from side to side. "There was a huge crater-type hole as the road work was going on.
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Driver Ravindra Shinde moves the car aside, but argues with Bhagat when asked to show his licence. Then, he rolls up the windows withu00a0 Bhagat's hand inside the car and speeds away, dragging Bhagat along

When he started swerving the car he was looking at me and that's why didn't notice the hole ahead," said Bhagat. "His car's front tyre got stuck in that and the car tilted to one side and he had to halt the car there."

Within seconds, Bhagat's colleague came rushing to the scene and freed his hand by rolling down the windows.
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Bhagat, who was in great pain, was rushed to nearby Rakshak hospital for treatment. He sustained injuries to his right hand but resumed duty the next day despite a swollen forearm.

Shinde drags Bhagat for 100 metres before a pothole stops the car. Bhagat's colleagues rush to help, free him. In great pain, Bhagat is taken to hospital, and Shinde arrested. Storyboard/Sameer Pawar

Shinde has been arrested by the Yerawada police and charged with rash driving and endangering lives of others, besides hurting a public servant.

"Had Shinde given the licence he would have to pay a fine of Rs 100 maximum and get away with a parking ticket. Now he is in police lock-up," said Mule.

Not the first time

Last July, Canada-based NRI Kamal Jain commited a similar offence. Jain's car was parked in a no-parking zone in Camp area and was spotted by the traffic police. A constable tried to fix a jammer to book the owner for violation. When Jain saw the constable near the car, he made his way to the steering wheel and started the vehicle in a jiffy. He did not stop the car even when the cop, after failing to hold him back, stepped on to the bonnet. Jain drove for 2 km amid an action-packed chase with cops with the cop on the bonnet. Jain stopped the car only after firing from DCP Ravindra Sengaonkar.