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Force Gurkha Wrongly Seized For Driving On Flooded Road Finally Released

force gurkha manuj kathuria released from police custody

Remember the Force Gurkha and its owner who were arrested a few months ago in Delhi for allegedly “causing flooding inside the basement of an IAS coaching”? Well, the same Force Gurkha SUV has now finally been released by the Delhi Police. The owner of this SUV was released back in August of this year. At the time, the court cited the arrest made by the Delhi Police as “over-enthusiastic.”

Force Gurkha Wrongly Seized For Driving On Flooded Road Finally Released

Delhi IAS Coaching Flooding Gurkha Released

The owner of the Force Gurkha, Manoj Kathuria, shared images of his Gurkha on the Team-BHP forum. In the images, the lifestyle off-roader SUV can be seen in very poor condition. It can be noted that the entire SUV was covered in leaves, dust, and grime.

Manoj Kathuria, in his post, stated, “Asterix is home. A little bruised, a little scarred, but finally home. Started on first crank, almost eager to leave that dreadful police impound. I sat inside and drove it today after the 28th of July when I was asked to join the investigation… and then arrested.”

He added that his next few days will be spent cleaning his beloved Asterix (Gurkha). Manoj stated that he will be cleaning it up inside and out and giving it a full service. As seen in the pictures, the car was parked at the Delhi police impound yard.

What Happened?

For those who may not be aware, back in July of this year, the city of Delhi witnessed a lot of rain. The result was that a number of places in the city were flooded. During these floods, a tragic incident took place at Rau’s IAS Academy, where three IAS aspirants lost their lives.

What happened was due to extensive waterlogging in Rajendra Nagar, where Rau’s IAS Academy was located. The basement of this coaching institute flooded, and it claimed the lives of three IAS aspirants.

Although the water had already made its way to the basement, the Delhi police authorities accused Manoj Kathuria’s Force Gurkha of contributing to this flooding. They stated that as the Force Gurkha drove in front of Rau’s Academy’s gate, the water breached the gate and entered the basement.

However, Kathuria, at the time of the investigation, stated that he drove his SUV at a moderate speed to avoid stalling on the flooded road. Also, the CCTV video footage supported his statement. But despite this, he was arrested by the Delhi Police and was taken to court.

Delhi Court Granted Bail To Gurkha Owner

Force Gurkha Wrongly Seized For Driving On Flooded Road Finally Released

Following his arrest and trial, at first, Judicial Magistrate Vinod Kumar denied bail to Kathuria. Also, along with Kathuria, four other basement co-owners were not given bail due to the severity of the deaths. However, after this ruling, the sessions court granted bail to Kathuria.

Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Kumar, after taking note of all the facts and evidence, granted bail to the Force Gurkha driver. The court stated that the Delhi Police acted with “over-enthusiasm” while arresting Kathuria. It added that there was no evidence that proved Kathuria was driving recklessly and caused the flooding of the basement.

Netizens’ Reactions

At the time when Kathuria was arrested, a number of netizens shared their opinions online. They stated that this arrest was completely unnecessary, as the driver did not drive his vehicle recklessly. They added that the police authorities, instead of arresting the real culprits responsible for waterlogging, had arrested an innocent man.