Nagpur: Teen sepak takraw player dies in bike collision, family protests with body at DCP office

A 17-year-old national-level sepak takraw player from Nagpur died in a road accident at Sangharshnagar Chowk, where a speeding bike hit her two-wheeler. The family's grief turned to anger when they learnt that police had released the biker, who had been caught after the accident.

According to information available, the player was travelling on a two-wheeler with her mother and sister on an errand at around 8 pm on Wednesday. At Sangharshnagar Chowk, the rider of a bike bearing registration number MH-40-CH 5547 hit their vehicle hard. The rider, Tushar Baban Bhowate, 22, a resident of New Suraj Nagar, Bhandewadi, is alleged to have driven rashly at high speed. All three were seriously injured.

After the accident, local residents caught Tushar and handed him over to the police. The three injured were taken to a nearby hospital, where the player died during treatment. Her mother and sister are still undergoing treatment.

The family learnt that between 2 am and 3 am, police had released the accused after giving him a notice. On Thursday, relatives, fellow players and local residents took the body straight to the office of the DCP, Zone 4. They wanted to meet Deputy Commissioner of Police Rashmita Rao, but she was not in the office. Angry over this, the protesters began a sit-in with the body at the spot, shouted slogans against the police and demanded strict action against the accused.

On receiving the news, ACP Narendra Hivre reached the spot. Police had the deceased's sister identify the suspected biker over a video call and told the family that he had been taken into custody again. After an assurance of strict action, the family's anger subsided and the protest ended.

The family's financial condition is very weak, to the extent that buying essential sports equipment was difficult. Despite this, the player did not give up. With help from her academy and fellow players, she made a name for herself at the national level through hard work. She represented Maharashtra in national competitions four to five times and won gold medals. She also performed impressively at the Khelo India competition.

The family had high hopes for her. Relatives demand strict action against the biker responsible for their daughter's death and want justice.