New Delhi: Jailed astrologer Ashok Kharat’s wife, Anuradha and his close aide, Jitendra Shelke were killed when their car collided with a slow moving truck. The accident happened on Samruddhi highway in Kopargaon taluka of Ahilyanagar district on Friday. Kharat’s 14-year-old son, Sujit has been critically injured in the road accident and is currently undergoing treatment.
The police said that Sujit has been admitted to a hospital in Shirdi. Shelke and Anuradha were travelling to Shirdi from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, when the accident happened at around 12:30 pm on the highway. They were just a few kilometres away from their destination, said a police officer, quoted by the Times of India.
Car hit truck, driver fled the spot: Police
Kopargaon rural police inspector Sandip Koli said that the accident happened on the highway before the interchange at Dhotre. Shelke was driving the car, he added. The car hit a slow moving truck and was completely crushed.
The truck driver fled the spot soon after the car hit his vehicle. The Police said that efforts are on to trace him and arrest him at the earliest. It is only after his arrest that it would be clear how exactly the accident happened.
Shelke was a prominent businessman from Shirdi. He was associated with Kharat’s Shree Shiwnika Sansthan. In fact he later became the Vice President of this organisation. The police said that Shelke was not accused in any of the cases filed against Kharat. Kharat, an astrologer is currently in jail on rape and fraud charges. He has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault.
Kharat is currently in Nashik jail.
Opposition raises suspicion around accident
Meanwhile, following the accident and death of Kharat’s wife and aide, the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) has raised certain doubts regarding the circumstances surrounding the accident. NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar wrote on ‘X’, “The death of Jitendra Shelke, the associate of Ashok Kharat and VP of Shiwnika Sansthan, in a tragic accident is extremely shocking. One can’t help but suspect whether this accident was orchestrated so that Kharat’s other unrevealed misdeeds don’t come to light and no one gets into trouble over them.”
Pawar demanded a thorough investigation into the accident. He also said that the safety of Kharat, who is in jail must also be ensured. He raised suspicion that in order to hide certain secrets which the astrologer might reveal, somebody might try to harm him.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare, termed the accident “unbelievable.” She said that there were doubts for some weeks that there could be threats to people linked to the Kharat case. This incident only strengthens this suspicion, she added.
Social activist Anjali Damania also raised suspicion over the timing of the accident. She said that Shelke was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) just 3 days back and now he has died.