Poor people and the middle class have no value. Their lives have no value. Only the wealthy have value. If someone drives under the influence of alcohol and, due to that, someone dies in an accident, then it should be considered a heinous crime. Eknath Shinde, who was the Deputy CM, and the MLA belonged to his party. At 4 a.m., Vishal Agarwal ji made a call, and from 4 a.m. itself, they went to the police station and started managing everything. This went on for an entire day.
The sad part is that it took us 58 hours to bring our sons from Maharashtra to MP, while they granted bail within 15 hours. Exactly two years ago, 24-year-old Aneesh Awasthi and his friend Ashwini Koshta were killed in an accident that shocked the entire nation. The Pune Porsche case became a potent symbol of systemic inequality and unchecked privilege, resonating globally.
At night, I was asleep when suddenly the phone rang. I thought, who calls so late at night? I ignored it once, but then it rang again. I felt it might be important, so I answered. A young boy said, “Aunty, please let me talk to Uncle urgently.” I asked what happened at this hour. He said, “I’m calling from Pune. Aneesh has met with an accident. Please let Uncle know.”
I woke my husband and told him to get up quickly because there was news of Aneesh’s accident. At that time, we knew nothing. When I spoke to the boy, he gave the name of a hospital and said, “Uncle, please come there quickly. Aneesh has met with an accident. We are taking him to the hospital.”
At 3 a.m., if you get such a call, you don’t understand anything. The children somehow took him to the hospital, possibly by auto or some means. At that time, he was still breathing. We believe that if he had received timely treatment or better facilities, he could have been saved. But due to negligence, things went wrong.
There was a birthday in the friend circle. The children were good kids, and there were girls as well. He had asked me if he could go, and I said yes. After dinner, they were returning when the accident happened. Later we learned through video clips that the boy driving was under 18—just a month or two short—and had consumed a lot of alcohol. He was driving at around 200 km/h and hit them, leading to their death on the spot.
When we went to bring our daughter’s body, there was no administration present. There was only one constable completing paperwork. No one else was there. Later, the administration woke up and responded. The then Chief Minister sent condolences through his OSD and assured us that strict action would be taken and no culprit would be spared.
Even today, the police cooperate, but it took 58 hours to bring the body. It was completely decomposed. We couldn’t even touch it. The body had started breaking apart. As a mother, I couldn’t even touch my child’s face for the last time.
The MLA played a major role. If he hadn’t come, this wouldn’t have been managed to such an extent. Instead of focusing on saving the two children who were struggling for life, they focused on saving the accused. Even if they couldn’t save them, the government could have at least provided proper storage for the bodies. From 2:52 a.m., when they were declared dead, till evening, no proper facility was given. Finally, at 9 p.m., the bodies were sent in a bus freezer.
It took 58 hours to reach us. The accident happened on the night of the 18th/19th, and the body reached on the 21st. My heart cried so much. I couldn’t hug my child or touch him one last time.
I saw a post on Instagram mentioning that after 15 days, the boy was sent to London for studies. I am not sure, but I read it in comments. For the parents of Aneesh and Ashwini, justice has been elusive. All accused are out on bail. The minor, now an adult, got bail within 15 hours. His mother, accused of tampering with evidence, got bail. In March, the Supreme Court granted bail to the father.
The parents watched everything on TV and are still waiting for the trial to begin. Bail is being granted one after another. It feels like everyone was bought—hospital staff, police, and even possibly the judge.
This was not a minor accident. Two lives were lost. Yet the judge granted bail and asked the accused to write a 300-word essay. It was shameful. The judge should have resigned.
Everyone condemned the incident, but the government only protected the MLA. Pressure was put on the victims’ friends not to give statements or pursue the FIR. Despite pressure, one friend stood firm, and only then the FIR was registered.
The MLA’s name was not included initially. He was given a clean chit. The entire system was used to manage the situation.
We filed a compensation claim of ₹5 crore, but even after nearly two years, we have received nothing. We wanted to do something in our child’s name, maybe a charity or a memorial, but we don’t have the means.We want a memorial board installed at the accident site so people remember the children and learn from it.
We also demand a change in the law. Just like in the Nirbhaya case, where 16–18-year-olds can be treated as adults for heinous crimes, similar provisions should apply here.
A minor who drinks, drives without a license, and causes death should be treated as an adult.A heinous crime should include such acts. Killing someone, knowingly risking lives by drunk driving, should not be taken lightly.
The reality is that poor and middle-class lives are not valued. Only the rich matter. We have been fighting for justice for so long, but justice still feels distant.
