Mumbai Bar Where Sena Leader's Son Was Drinking Before BMW Crash Sealed

A bar in Mumbai where the son of a Shiv Sena leader, Mihir Shah, partied before his BMW fatally knocked down a woman and injured her husband has been sealed by the excise department today over alleged violations. Juhu's Vice Global Tapas Bar was sealed after a case of violation of excise department rules came to light, said sources.

The police today arrested Mr Shah - son of deputy leader of the Eknath Shinde-led party in Maharashtra's Palghar district Rajesh Shah - 72 hours after the accident.

Mihir Shah was allegedly drinking with his friends at the bar hours before the accident. A liquor bill emerged yesterday that indicated he had drinks at the bar in Juhu late Saturday night and his driver picked him up in the BMW car. 

The 24-year-old was allegedly driving the BMW car which rammed Kaveri Nakhwa (45) and injured her husband Pradeep while the couple was on their two-wheeler in Mumbai's Worli area Sunday morning, police said. Rajrishi Bidawat, his driver, was the other occupant in the luxury car.

CCTV footage produced by police in court showed Nakhwa being dragged by the car for 1.5 kilometres. It showed Mihir Shah and Bidawat pulling the woman off the bonnet, placing her on the road and then mowing her down again while reversing the car.

Rajesh Shah and Bidawat were produced in the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Sewree) SP Bhosale yesterday and were remanded in 14-day judicial and one-day police custody, respectively. Shah was booked for allegedly providing misinformation and destruction of evidence.

Rajesh Shah was, however, later granted bail by court.

Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena head Eknath Shinde asserted "no one, whether rich, influential" would be spared if found guilty.

"No one, whether rich, influential, or the offspring of bureaucrats or ministers, affiliated with any party, will have immunity as long as I am the chief minister." he said.

Mr Shinde said he was deeply alarmed by the rise in hit-and-run incidents in Maharashtra. "It is intolerable that the powerful and influential misuse their status to manipulate the system. Such miscarriages of justice will not be tolerated by my government," he said.