Congress organises essay-writing competition at Pune Porsche accident site

Congress party's youth wing organised an essay writing competition near the accident spot in Pune where an intoxicated 17-year-old brat killed two persons while driving an unregistered Porsche.

More than 100 people reportedly participated in the essay writing competition that had topics such as 'If my father was a builder', 'Ill effects of alcohol', 'Is this administration sleeping?' among others.

The three best essayists got ₹11,000 ($132), ₹7,000 ($84) and ₹5,000 ($60) as cash prize.

The essay competition was a symbolic protest against the initial decision of the Juvenile Justice Board to grant bail to the minor less than 15 hours after the accident on May 19 and asking him to write an essay on road accidents.

The Juvenile Justice Board had asked the teenager, whose father -- an affluent city builder -- moved cities and went incommunicado as the police looked for his whereabouts, to write a 300-word essay on road accidents.

This provoked nationwide outrage among citizens on the Board's leniency.

Pune Congress leader Sangeeta Tiwari denounced JJB's initial decision as "an extreme mockery of justice".

"Tomorrow, anyone can ram his car and kill people and be let off by being asked to write an essay of 300 or 600 words merely because of his family’s connections. What a laughable decision on part of the JJB and an extreme mockery of justice. There is intense anger among the youth. Hence, our party’s youth wing has organised this competition as we want to prick the ears of this government," she said in a statement.

The police have arrested the teenager’s father, realtor Vishal Agarwal, and his grandfather, Surendra Agarwal, in connection with the accident.

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The father was booked for "exposing a child to danger" by handing over the car to him despite knowing that he had no driving license.

The teen's grandfather was arrested for the 'illegal confinement' of the driver and for forcing the latter to take the legal blame for his grandson's deed.

(With inputs from agencies)