Pune car crash: Doctor who replaced teen’s blood samples sacked, two others to soon face action

The doctor accused of manipulating the accused teen's blood samples in Pune's Porche car crash case has now been sacked. India Today reported that Dr Shrihari Halnor, the chief medical officer, was sacked Wednesday (May 29) by the state-run Sassoon General Hospital. Shrihari allegedly replaced the teen's blood samples with another person's samples to show that the accused was not drunk at the time of the accident that killed two IT professionals.

Apart from that, the Maharashtra government has also vowed to take action against Dr Ajay Taware, the head of the hospital's medicine department and a staffer Atul Ghatkamble. Taware and Ghatkamble are likely to be suspended after the inquiry committee's preliminary report. All three doctors are currently under detention.

Local state lawmaker Sunil Tingre's name has also been linked with the car crash case from day one. And now, it has been confirmed that Vishal Agarwal, the father of the accused teen, tried calling the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA more than 45 times. Some reports even hint at possible links between the MLA and Dr Ajay Taware. 

He confirmed on May 20, a day after the accident, that he was present at the local police station till 6 am. Tingre later claimed he didn't try to put pressure on police but his party NCP has asked for an explanation.

As of now, Maharashtra Police are denying any connection between Sunil Tingre and Dr Ajay Taware.

Not just the doctors, but the role of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJ Board) members, who granted bail to the teen within 24 hours, is also under scanner. Maharashtra's women and child development department has now established a five-person committee to investigate whether the members followed legal procedures.

Two IT professionals lost their lives on May 19 after the accused teen, the son of a powerful businessman, ran his luxury Porche car over them in an inebriated state.

The case is being keenly followed by national media and social media users nationwide after reports emerged that the teen was being dealt with soft hands by the authorities.