Digvijay Trivedi died in the accident near Mendhwan pass; colleague seriously injured; his father raises suspicion about incident, police rule out foul play
Advocate Digvijay Trivedi. Pic/Hanif Patel
A 35-year-old advocate, Digvijay Trivedi, who was heading with a group of lawyers to appear for the victims in the Palghar mob-lynching case at a Dahanu court, died in a road crash on Thursday near Mendhwan pass at Kasa.
Trivedi's father, Omprakash, has raised suspicion about the fatal accident, but the in-charge of Kasa police station, Siddhawa Jaybhay, has ruled out foul play saying, "'there are skid marks on the road before the spot where his car crashed.'
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Trivedi's senior associate Parmanand Ojha confirmed to mid-day that the deceased was set to accompany him at Dahanu court where the accused tribals were produced in connection with the mob-lynching case.
'He was driving his car'
"There were three cars with advocates; two of them were following my car, and Trivedi was driving the last car. I reached the court where I got to know that Trivedi's car met with an accident and his condition was critical. Later I got to know that he succumbed to the injuries," Ojha said.
Additional Superintendent of Police Vikrant Deshmukh said, "We have registered an FIR under section 304 (A) of Indian Penal Code against the deceased at Kasa police station, as he was behind the wheel of his vehicle. His colleague, Preeti Trivedi, who was seated next to him, has sustained serious injuries in the accident."
Trivedi is survived by his parents who live in Bhayandar. His father Omprakash Trivedi said, "On Tuesday, he (Digvijay) had told me that he has to appear in Dahanu court in connection with the Palghar mob-lynching case. On Wednesday, he left home in his car at 9 am with his junior associate Preeti Trivedi. At 11 am, I received a call from police who told me that my son has met with an accident. I was asked to visit a hospital near Kasa police station immediately."
'Accident is a mystery to me'
"After reaching the hospital, I got to know that my son succumbed to the injuries he received in the road crash. I am yet to believe that my lone son is no more. He had been driving his own car since past five years and never got a scratch on his car. He always drove very safely. How this accident took place is a mystery to me, " said a shattered Omprakash while talking to mid-day.
"His junior associate, who is said to be critical, will be in a better condition to reveal what happened on the road and how the accident took place," he said.
Sources in police have told mid-day that Mendhwan pass is an accident prone area on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway.
Three accused in detention
The Palghar police have arrested a total of 141 tribals including 10 juveniles in the mob-lynching case.
Sources have also revealed to mid-day that with the help of the Cyber Cell of Palghar police, three accused have been kept under detention for a few days, for their alleged role in spreading rumours on WhatsApp, which led to the mob-lynching.
"The Cyber Cell has found screen shots of messages which say a 'child lifting gang will come in the night to kidnap kids and further they will harvest their organs to make money. The child lifting gang will come donning the attire of doctors/saints in an ambulance wearing facemasks'. Three people have been kept under detention possibly to arrest their accomplices," said the source. However, senior police officers are tightlipped about the detention of the men.
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