AHMEDABAD: Despite stringent night combing operations and patrols aimed at curbing violence in and around Ahmedabad, a tragedy occurred late on Sunday at Enasan village in Dehgam.

An allegedly drunk driver, Mitesh Patel, 48, rammed his SUV into a divider, causing it to jump onto the other side of the road and plough into an oncoming scooter, killing two riders on the spot. Patel had lost control of his SUV while overtaking an autorickshaw, resulting in the accident. The victims, Amit Rathod, 26, and Vishal Rathod, 26, were residents of Vasna-Rathod village in Dehgam.
Patel, a resident of Galaxy Bungalows in Nava Naroda, allegedly confessed to police that he was "drunk". Ahmedabad in-charge SP, Megha Tewar, said that Patel, a prominent farmer, had been drinking alone at his farm in Dehgam. "Police have conducted his medical test to confirm intoxication. Preliminary investigation suggests he was heavily drunk at the time of the incident," Tewar said.
Patel was returning home from his farm in Zankh village of Dehgam taluka, Gandhinagar, when the accident occurred. However, charges of drunk driving were not included in the FIR filed by Kanbha police as alcohol test results were pending.
Kalusinh Rathod, 29, Vishal's brother, filed a complaint with Kanbha police. He stated that Vishal and Amit, who worked at a private firm in Naroda, were riding to their workplace on Amit's scooter on Sunday. Around 9.45pm, he received a call from the village sarpanch, Yuvrajsinh Rathod, informing him of the accident near Shantam Farm Road.
When he reached the spot, he found Vishal and Amit lying in a pool of blood. EMRI 108 paramedics declared the scooterists dead. Vijay Thakor, a resident of Vasna-Rathod village, had witnessed the accident as he was on a motorcycle behind the victims.
Kanbha police charged Patel with rash driving, an act endangering life or personal safety of others and culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 177 and 184 (speeding) of the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act. They will include drunk driving charges under Section 185 of the MV Act once the medical report confirms that Patel was drunk.
Viral video shows driver saying he was ‘drunk’
A video that has gone viral purportedly shows Mitesh Patel confessing that he was drinking and driving. Following the accident, locals had beaten him up and handed him over to police.
In the video, believed to be recorded by locals, he is heard saying, “Yes, I was drunk. I am telling you the truth.” Patel owns 17 bighas of land at Zank village in Dehgam.
He also purportedly says in the viral video that he had been driving properly, but the vehicle hit a divider, causing it to jump onto the opposite side of the road. According to police, he was headed home after allegedly drinking liquor with an aide when the accident occurred.