Pune Porsche Crash Case: Ajit Pawar Says Allegations Against MLA Sunil Tingre Are Baseless

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) national president Ajit Pawar has come to the defence of Vadgaon Sheri MLA Sunil Tingre, who is under public scrutiny for his conduct in the Porsche crash case that resulted in the deaths of two IT engineers on 19 May.

Pawar informed reporters that Tingre likely went to the police station upon learning about the accident, which is a common practice for public representatives, as per a report by The Indian Express.

Tingre arrived at the Yerwada Police Station around 3.30 am on 19 May, roughly an hour after the accident, and remained there until 6.00 am.

Opposition leaders have accused Tingre of attempting to influence the investigation in favour of the accused, a minor.

A letter has also surfaced in which Tingre recommended Dr Ajay Taware, who was arrested for allegedly swapping the blood sample of the minor accused, for the position of Medical Superintendent at a hospital.

“In Maharashtra, public representatives who stay locally do visit the spots if an untoward incident happens. You must be aware that some time ago Tingre had also visited the spot when there was a slab collapse in his constituency,” said Pawar.

He noted that Tingre went to the police station after receiving a call about the late-night Porsche crash.

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Tingre publicly shared the details of the call he received before going to the station.

“Tingre had received a call, and he has shared in public whose call he received after which he reached the police station. He did not order anyone to protect anybody… Did anyone try to pressure the administration to stop, or did anyone stop the police from registering an offence? Nothing of the sort has happened all that was required has taken place in this case,” said Pawar.

Pawar added that the allegations against Tingre are "baseless".

The Deputy CM mentioned that some individuals are also targeting him in connection with the case, but he has never tried to protect anyone involved in wrongdoing.

"You all know that I always take a strict stance on such matters, even if they involve my workers," Ajit Pawar stated.

He acknowledged that officials from various government departments made mistakes in this case, and appropriate actions have been taken against them as issues surfaced.

Pawar also clarified that he did not speak to the Pune Police Commissioner immediately after the incident, contrary to allegations made by opposition leaders and social workers.

“I am always in touch with Pune CP but in this case, I did not call him. Had I spoken to him I would have told him to take strict action because that’s what an elected representative should do,” Pawar mentioned.

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