Three of a family killed as unknown vehicle hits kirtan-goers on Shirur road; driver flees

Three members of a family were killed late on Thursday (the 29th) at Ambale village in Shirur taluka of Pune district when an unidentified vehicle hit four people walking home after a kirtan. Two minor children and an elderly woman died, while a woman is critically injured.

The accident took place on the Nhavare-Shirur road, in front of Kesari Hotel near Ambale, after the kirtan ended. The driver did not help the injured and fled the spot with the vehicle. Residents are angry over this. The deaths of three members of one family have plunged the whole village into mourning.

The dead are Kaushalya Vasant Zende (61), a 13-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl. All three lived in Ambale, Shirur taluka, Pune district. Jyoti Rajiv Zende (42), who is critically injured, is being treated at a private hospital in Shirur.

According to Shirur police, a Harinam Saptah is being held in Ambale as every year, with a mahaprasad and kirtan every night. On Thursday night Jyoti Zende had gone to the village to listen to the kirtan with her mother-in-law Kaushalya Zende, her son and a neighbouring girl, the daughter of her cousin sister-in-law. After the kirtan and mahaprasad, the four set out on foot late at night along the Nhavare-Shirur road.

In front of Kesari Hotel near Ambale, an unidentified vehicle coming at high speed from the Nhavare side towards Shirur hit the four from behind as they walked at the roadside. The impact threw all four onto the road. Both children suffered serious head injuries and died on the spot. Jyoti and Kaushalya Zende were taken to Shirur in an ambulance.

Kaushalya Zende was admitted to Shri Ganesh Hospital in Shirur, but doctors declared her dead during treatment. Jyoti Zende's treatment is continuing.

Villagers from Ambale reached the spot on hearing of the accident, but the driver had by then fled without providing any medical help. Tracing the vehicle and its driver is a major challenge for the police. Santosh Anil Zende (36), a relative of the deceased and a resident of Ambale, has filed a complaint at the Nhavare police outpost. A case has been registered against the unknown driver on this basis. No arrest has been reported so far.

Sub-divisional police officer Ravindra Bhosale and Shirur senior police inspector Vinod Patil visited the spot and inspected it. They directed that further action be taken and that the vehicle and its driver be traced. Sub-inspector Sagar Shelke of the Nhavare police outpost is investigating the case further.