Dept inquiry to check if old man booked for drunk driving had suffered a stroke earlier

Sources said the inquiry would be conducted by the assistant commissioner of police, and officers who conducted the investigation and registered the first information report (FIR) against the senior citizen, Sharad Kadam, would be questioned

MUMBAI: Four days after a 73-year-old Versova resident crashed his car into another four-wheeler, reportedly after suffering a stroke, and the police booked him for alleged drunk driving, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (zone 9) on Thursday ordered a departmental inquiry into the matter.

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Sources said the inquiry would be conducted by the assistant commissioner of police, and officers who conducted the investigation and registered the first information report (FIR) against the senior citizen, Sharad Kadam, would be questioned. Information about the case would also be gathered from Cooper Hospital, where Kadam’s blood sample was collected for

testing the alcohol content, and Nanavati Hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment for stroke.

Kadam’s family members told Hindustan Times that he had suffered a stroke shortly before the accident on July 25, and was detained at Versova police station for nearly five hours for suspected drunk driving, which resulted in him missing the crucial golden window to seek treatment.

“Perhaps, the police assumed he was drunk because of his slurred speech after the stroke. They did not subject him to any breathalyser test at the spot,” a family member said, requesting anonymity.

The Versova police, however, asserted that the 73-year-old appeared drunk at the time of the accident and said they were awaiting the blood test report from Cooper Hospital to ascertain the alcohol content in his blood.

“The senior citizen looked inebriated and we registered an FIR against him based on a complaint by the doctor whose car he crashed into,” an officer from Versova police station said, requesting anonymity.

Jaywant Meena, additional commissioner of police (west) and Purushottam Karad, deputy commissioner of police (zone 9) did not respond to phone calls and messages from HT, seeking their comments on the matter.