PUNE: A video clip of a young man stepping out of a BMW car at Shastrinagar Chowk in Yerawada around 7.30am on Saturday, peeing in public, and later flashing morning walkers, including women, for confronting him before driving away, caused public outrage in the city. The man, identified as Gaurav Ahuja, later surrendered himself to Karad city police and was arrested.
Another young man is seen in the video holding a beer bottle, smiling, and talking aloud on the front passenger seat as they paid little heed to people around questioning their act. The men appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, passers-by said.
Social activist Vijay Kumbhar shared the video on his X handle.
City police commissioner Amitesh Kumar told TOI, “We have taken the incident seriously and have registered an FIR against Ahuja, who was driving the car, and his friend Bhagyash Prakash Oswal, who has been arrested.”
Senior inspector Ravindra Shelke from Yerawada police station said Oswal hails from the family of a construction businessman, and he was taken into custody from his residence at Market Yard. “He was referred to Sassoon General Hospital for a blood sample test to ascertain the presence of alcohol.”
Shelke said a team went to Ahuja’s residence at NIBM Road in Kondhwa but did not find him. “His father, who is a hotelier, told us that he was not aware of Ahuja’s whereabouts after he left home late Friday night. The father claimed that he did return home on Saturday morning but left in the same car around 10.30am and had not returned since then.”
“We advised his father to ask Ahuja to surrender before police in case the latter contacts them over the phone. He switched off his cell phone after the incident. In 2021, the airport police had arrested Ahuja in a gambling case. He was later released on bail,” Shelke said.
Late in the evening, Ahuja surrendered himself to Karad city police, deputy commissioner of police (zone IV) Himmat Jadhav said. “A police team will bring him to Pune,” he said.
When contacted, additional commissioner of police (east region) Manoj Patil said police established the identities of the two men from the car’s registration number and the video clip that went viral. “The vehicle is registered in the name of Ahuja’s father and Ahuja himself is very clearly seen in the video. We will question Oswal to ascertain details like where all they had been before the incident at Shashtrinagar Chowk.”
Yerawada police have registered an FIR against Ahuja and Oswal under sections 270 (public nuisance), 281 (criminal rash driving on public road), 285 (danger or obstruction in public ways), and 79 (word gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, sections 110 read with 112 (indecent public behaviour) of the Maharashtra Police Act, sections 184 and 184 (drunk driving) of the Motor Vehicles Act, and section 85 (drunk and disorderly behaviour in public) of the Prohibition Act.
Social activist Kumbhar said, “I received the video clip from a known person and posted it on my X handle after taking cognisance of the indecent behaviour of Ahuja, who allegedly under the influence of alcohol urinated in a public place, and his friend Oswal showing a beer bottle and creating public nuisance on International Women’s Day. I have demanded that police take stringent action against them.”
Earlier in the day, Ahuja released a video tendering an apology to the public for his act.
