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21-year-old Jain monk killed by speeding car on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway
Namraratna Maharaj and his fellow travellers were going from Pratapdham Sativali in Saphale towards Mahavirdham Shirsad beyond Virar. Around 5.15 am on Friday, when they were near Bhalivali Bridge, a speeding four-wheeler coming from Gujarat was hit by a truck on the south-bound carriageway of the highway
MUMBAI: A 21-year-old Jain monk, who was on a pilgrimage on foot with companions, died in a road accident on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway early on Friday. The accident occurred near Bhalivali village when the driver of a speeding car lost control over his vehicle after he was hit by a truck from behind and rammed the monk, resulting in his death.
The deceased Jain monk was identified as Namraratna Vijay Maharaj, originally from Gujarat. The entire Jain community is mourning his death.
According to the Mandvi police, Namraratna Maharaj and his fellow travellers were going from Pratapdham Sativali in Saphale towards Mahavirdham Shirsad beyond Virar. Around 5.15 am on Friday, when they were near Bhalivali Bridge, a speeding four-wheeler coming from Gujarat was hit by a truck on the south-bound carriageway of the highway.
The driver of the car lost control of the vehicle and directly hit the Jain monk. The impact was so severe that the seriously injured monk died before reaching the hospital where he was taken for treatment.
Senior inspector Ranjeet Andhale of Mandvi police station said that upon receiving information about the incident, a police team reached the spot and after preparing a spot panchnama, a case was registered against the drivers of the truck and the car under Sections 106 (causing death due to negligence) and 281 (reckless or negligent driving/riding on public roads that endangers human life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 184 (dangerous driving) of the Motor Vehicles Act.
“Further investigation into the matter is underway,” said Andhale. “The preliminary investigation has revealed that the accident occurred due to the drivers losing control of their vehicles and driving recklessly, ignoring road conditions. We have sent notices to both Akash Iswar Anandwar, a resident of Mankhurd who was driving the car, and Raju Singh Tomar, the truck driver who is a resident of Surat. We have asked them to be present before the police for investigation to find out the exact cause of the accident.”
Following the tragic incident, the Jain community has expressed grief. “We are deeply saddened, and request the police to do justice to the deceased,” said a Jain community member from Vasai. “Muniraj Namraratna Maharaj had taken Diksha (religious initiation) into the Dharmasuri sect in 2020. This unfortunate accident occurred just a day after he completed six years of his initiation.”
