Pune: Biker kicked, punched by tempo driver, dies

PUNE: A 24-year-old motorcyclist collapsed and died after he was kicked and punched by a tempo driver following a confrontation on the Loni Kalbhor-Theur road, about 25km from here, on Saturday afternoon.
Senior police inspector Rajendra Mokashi said the victim, Sundar Shiva Pawar, a resident of Alifnagar in Loni Kalbhor, was going towards Theur with two friends on the motorcycle around 1.30pm when the tempo, carrying medicines to Theur, overtook him and grazed the motorcycle. Pawar sped ahead of the tempo, intercepted it and confronted the driver, Aditya Sudhir Dharashivkar (23) of Hadapsar.
“A heated verbal exchange ensued. Dharashivkar started kicking and punching Pawar. By the time Pawar’s friends and others could intervene, Dharashivkar had dealt serious blows which resulted in Pawar collapsing. His friends rushed him to a hospital in Loni Kalbhor, where he was declared dead on arrival,” Mokashi said.
Dharashivkar tried to flee after the assault, but Pawar’s friends and passersby caught him and handed him over to the police. A case of murder was registered following a complaint by Pawar’s brother.