CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: Abhimanyu Kshirsagar, the sarpanch of Saundana village in Beed’s Ambajogai taluka, was run over by a dumper near the Nirwat t-point, on the Parli-Dharmapuri road, around 9pm on Saturday.
Police said 45-year-old Kshirsagar, who was returning home to Parli from Saundana, fell on the road after being hit by the dumper and later came under the heavy vehicle’s wheels. The dumper driver, identified as 62-year-old Bhojraj Devkar, fled the accident spot. However, he went to Parli police station within the next hour. He parked his empty dumper there and fled again, but was eventually nabbed by the police.
The sarpanch’s death comes in the wake of statewide outrage over Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh’s brutal murder. Ashti’s BJP MLA Suresh Dhas has demanded a thorough probe into the accident that claimed Kshirsagar’s life, to ascertain whether the dumper was involved in the illegal transport of fly ash from the Parli power plant.
When contacted, sub-inspector Anmol Kedar, of the Parli police, said it was part of the investigation to determine whether the dumper was carrying any material or was it empty.
Mohan Phad, a member of Saudana gram panchayat, said the dumper stationed at Parli rural police station was empty. The driver was not around. “After the accident, we took the sarpanch to a nearby hospital. However, the doctors declared him dead. After almost an hour, we reached the police station and saw the empty dumper parked there,” he said.
Kshirsagar is survived by his wife, two children, and parents. His last rites were performed at Saundana on Sunday afternoon. Police have registered an offence under the BNS section 106 (2) (causing death by rash or negligent driving and escaping from the scene of the accident without reporting it to the police) and section 125 (B) (endanger the personal safety or life of others) among other charges.
