A high-profile accident leaves unanswered questions

A high-profile accident leaves unanswered questions
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

BHUBANESWAR, NOV 5: An accident involving Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's official vehicle late on Friday night has kicked off a controversy with a version maintaining that Patnaik was at the wheels when the incident occurred.

Two rickshaws and a trolley owned by residents of Jadisahi nearby were damaged in the incident which took place near the inspection bungalow in unit-8 here.

The manner in which the matter was hushed up has raised many questions. Soon after the accident, the driver of the vehicle, a Maruti Esteem, is reported to have paid Rs 5,000 to the affected persons. The police were not informed either by the driver or the affected people. Sources close to the Chief Minister, however, maintained that he was not in the car at the time of the accident.

There was, however, no official version on the incident. Both Home Secretary T.K. Mishra and secretary to the Chief Minister J.K. Mahapatra feigned ignorance. The moot question is why the matter was not reported to the police even though the driver reached a compromise with the affected persons. Residents of Jadisahi maintained that the Chief Minister was not in the car then.``My rickshaw was completely damaged,'' resident Uday Sahu said. ``We wanted to inform the police but the driver pleaded with us not to do so and gave us Rs 5,000,'' he added. Sahu's rickshaw has since been repaired. Sheikh Sajab, another resident of Jadisahi, also said the Chief Minister was not in the car.