Thane: The family of 31-year-old NDRF jawan Vikas Gore, who died after his motorcycle hit a pothole on Mumbai-Nashik Highway, has accused local police of making an “insensitive remark” when they sought action against those responsible for the road’s condition.The family alleged that after the accident, they approached Shahapur police station demanding that a case be registered against the road contractor responsible for maintaining the highway. According to relatives, a police officer allegedly told them, “Couldn’t your son see the pothole? He should have been riding carefully.”Responding to the allegation, Thane Rural superintendent of police Vinaykumar Rathod told TOI that the complaint would be examined. “We will inquire into the family’s allegations regarding the police’s remark,” he said.Speaking to TOI, Vikas’s relative Datta Mali said the accident occurred around 4.30 am on Monday when Gore was riding to work amid heavy rain. “It was raining heavily and visibility was poor. The road is smooth on both sides, but there is a sudden pothole at the accident spot. How could he have noticed it in such conditions?” Mali said.Mali said Gore was a dedicated and committed member of NDRF. Just last week, he had participated in the rescue operation after the collapse of a residential building in Bhiwandi, where he and his team helped rescue injured victims from the debris.He alleged that the family’s experience at the police station was deeply hurtful and said action should be taken against those responsible for the poor road condition to prevent similar tragedies.Mali said Vikas’s father had died two and a half years ago and the deceased was the family’s main breadwinner. Besides supporting his widowed mother, he was also responsible for his wife and their one-year-old twin daughters, and contributed to his elder brother’s household, whose income from a private company was limited.The family has appealed to the state govt to provide a job to Vikas’s wife on compassionate grounds so she can support the children.Meanwhile, following the fatal accident, Shahapur DYSP Vishal Nagarguje convened an emergency meeting on Tuesday at Shahapur police station with officials from Highway Police, MSRDC and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to review the condition of the highway.SP Rathod said police identified several dangerous potholes requiring immediate repairs and informed NHAI officials, who assured that the most critical potholes would be repaired within two days. Police also directed the highway authorities to repair the remaining potholes to minimise the risk of further fatal accidents.Nagarguje told TOI that an Accidental Death Report (ADR) has been registered in the case and a detailed report has been sought from NHAI regarding the incident. Further legal action will be decided after examining the report. Meanwhile, NHAI have filled potholes that led to the accident of Gore, who died.
