Pune Porsche Crash: Three-Member Panel Visits Sassoon Hospital to Probe Blood Sample Manipulation

A three-member committee, led by Dr Pallavi Sapale, visited Sassoon Hospital in Pune on Tuesday in accordance with the government's order to enquire into the alleged blood sample manipulation in the case of a juvenile driver involved in a fatal Porsche car crash. Dr Sapale said that a report will be submitted to the government after completing the enquiry and all information in this regard will be collected.

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has set up a three-member committee following the arrest of two doctors and an employee of Pune-based Sassoon General Hospital in connection with the alleged manipulation of the blood sample of the juvenile driver involved in the Porsche car crash.

The three-member committee appointed by the Medical Department has visited Sassoon Hospital on Tuesday. The panel chairperson Dr. Pallavi Sapale said that all information will be taken as part of the investigation of the case. A report will be sent to the government after inquiry, she said. The government has appointed the committee and the report will be given to the government, Dr Sapale said. Dr Sapale is the dean of Grant Medical College and JJ group of hospitals Dr Pallavi Sapale.

The other members are Dr Gajanan Chavan, professor of the forensic medicine department of Grant Medical College, and Dr Sudhir Chowdhary, Special Duty Officer at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar Government Medical College and Super Speciality Hospital. The committee is asked to visit Pune on Tuesday.

On this occasion, MLA Ravindra Dhangekar also met the committee and made an appeal that the case should be investigated impartially. Dr. Ajay Tavre, who is under arrest, has been accused of tampering with the blood report of the minor accused.

On Monday, Medical Education Commissioner Rajiv Nivatkar issued the order appointing the three-member panel. The commissioner has directed Dr Vinayak Kale, Dean of Sassoon General Hospital, to cooperate with the committee in the probe, as per the order.

Pune Police arrested Dr Ajay Taware, head of the Sassoon Hospital's Forensic Medicine department, Dr Shrihari Halnor, the chief medical officer, and the staffer Atul Ghatkamble who works under Dr Taware. They were remanded in police custody till May 30.

In the early hours of May 19, two IT professionals were killed after their motorcycle was hit by a speeding Porsche allegedly driven by the minor boy in the Kalyani Nagar area of Pune city. The police claim the teenager was drunk at the time of the accident. Dr. Ajay Tavre and Dr. Srihari Halnor and Atul Ghatakamble of Sassoon Hospital were arrested for allegedly altering the blood report of the minor child.

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