Driver held, set free in eight hours

Utsav Bhasin, accused of hitting two men with his BMW car near Moolchand Hospital, has pleaded innocence, reports Vijaita Singh.

Utsav Bhasin (19), accused of hitting two men with his BMW car near Moolchand Hospital on Thursday, has pleaded innocence.

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Utsav was arrested on Friday when he was trying to catch at bus to Chandigarh. He told the police he was neither speeding, nor had he consumed alcohol.

Utsav, who was booked for rash and negligent driving, was granted bail within eight hours of his arrest.

Police can prove speed of car

Soon after he was arrested, Utsav told police the motorcycle came in front of his BMW. “It all happened within a flash of a second. They were trying to cross over to another lane. The next thing I knew, I had hit them,” Utsav said.

The police are, however, not buying Utsav’s defence. “If he says he was not speeding, he should have driven the car at a speed that does not endanger the lives of others. We can prove the speed of the car with the help of ‘simulator-software’ to ascertain the speed at the time of the accident,” said a senior police officer.

Forensic help sought

Although Utsav was arrested more than 24 hours after the accident, police say they do not rule out drink driving.

“Although no trace of alcohol was found in his blood when the doctors examined him on Friday, we do not rule out the possibility. We have sent the blood samples to forensic experts to find out whether he consumed alcohol,” said the officer.

Utsav told the police he hot dogs at 24x7 (a convenience store in Greater Kailash-II) and was returning home. “I did not consume any alcohol,” he reportedly said.

Although it is an extremely difficult task, experts say forensic tests can prove alcohol consumption.

“A lot depends on the amount consumed and there are several other factors like stomach condition, consciousness of the person and body metabolism that differ from person to person. Ideally, every hour the body lets out 15 per cent alcohol. But it is possible to prove it through forensic tests,” DN Bhardwaj, additional professor at the AIIMS forensic department, said.

Additional charges likely

If there is fatality in this accident, the police will slap an additional charge of death due to negligence against Utsav. Police said they were also contemplating Section 338 (causing grievous hurt by endangering life of others), a harsher section that can invite an imprisonment of up to two years.

Victim’s version awaited

The police are waiting for Mrigank’s recovery. Mrigank was riding the motorcycle that was hit by Anuj’s car.

“Mrigank is our most important eyewitness. He would be able to tell us the exact sequence of events. We also have other eyewitnesses whose statements we have recorded,” said the officer.