Following the Porsche car crash in Pune, Maharashtra, Dr. Ajay Taware was suspended amid allegations of substituting a minor's blood sample. The administration of Sassoon General Hospital had proposed his removal. Simultaneously, the hospital's dean, Dr. Vinayak Kale, has been sent on compulsory leave.
Prior to his enforced leave, Dean Dr. Vinayak Kale mentioned that, immediately after Dr. Ajay Taware's arrest, the administration had sent a suspension proposal to the state government, while the service of Dr. Srihari Halnor, who was working on a temporary basis, had already been terminated. He added, 'Suspensions are processed at the government level. We've forwarded a proposal from our end.'
Dean stated, 'Following the action (arrest), we withdrew Dr. Ajay Taware from his HOD position in forensic medicine, handing it to a senior professor of the department. Dr. Srihari Halnor was temporarily appointed, and we've ended his services. The third arrested suspect in this case, Atul Ghatakamble, a cleaning staff, has been suspended. Atul had disposed of the blood sample in the trash on Dr. Taware's orders.'
A three-member committee investigating the case visited Sassoon General Hospital on Tuesday and met with the police officers handling the case. The committee, led by Dean Dr. Pallavi Saple of Grant Medical College and JJ Group of Hospitals, toured Sassoon Hospital. Dr. Saple stated, 'We'll examine the sequence of events following the accident. The investigation will follow the rules and a report will be submitted to the government.'
Police revealed the switch of the blood sample the day after the accident on May 19. Following this exposé, the head of the forensic medicine department at the government hospital, Dr. Ajay Taware, the chief medical officer Dr. Srihari Halnor, and a staff member, Atul Ghatakamble, were arrested. The trio changed the blood sample in exchange for money, ensuring that the minor's medical report would not confirm the presence of alcohol.
Source: aajtak
Dr. Pallavi Saple remarked, 'We will submit our findings to the state government which will decide the course of action. The government has instructed us to submit the report promptly.' The committee members also examined the casualty department and the procedures for blood sample collection, preservation, and transfer to the forensic lab, to pinpoint where the failure occurred.
According to police reports, on the night of May 19, the underage boy guzzled alcohol worth 69,000 with his friends. They began their night at Pune's Cozy Pub, where they drank heavily until midnight. When the pub ceased serving drinks, they moved on to the Black Marriott Pub, spending 48,000 there before drinking an additional 21,000 worth of alcohol.
After consuming such copious amounts of alcohol, inebriated, the boy took the keys to a three-crore Porsche and sped off onto the streets. He soon lost control of the high-speed vehicle, which hit and killed two software engineers riding a motorcycle. Following the incident, an enraged crowd severely beat the minor before handing him over to the authorities. Despite this, the accused's father managed to secure his release by leveraging his influence.
