Assamese actor Nandini Kashyap was arrested for allegedly killing a 21-year-old Nalbari Polytechnic student in a hit-and-run incident on July 25, police said on Wednesday.
Samiul Haque, who also worked with a Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) team, was on a night shift repairing street lights when a speeding Bolero SUV, allegedly driven by Kashyap, hit him in Guwahati’s Udalbakra area.
Haque was taken to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) by his fellow workers, from where he was shifted to Apollo Hospital. He died while receiving treatment on July 29.
Police said that they didn’t receive any information on the night of the accident. The deceased’s family members lodged a complaint on July 26.
An investigating officer said that though there are allegations that she was under the influence of alcohol, “it was not possible to establish because we came to know about the incident the next day.”
Kashyap, who recently starred in the Assamese movie Rudra, was taken into custody from Rajdhani Theatre in North Guwahati on Tuesday evening and was brought to the Dispur Police Station.
The All Assam Polytechnic Students’ Union (AAPSU) lodged a first information report (FIR). “A case was registered against Kashyap under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), including culpable homicide not amounting to murder and hit-and-run causing death – both non-bailable offences,” deputy commissioner of police (traffic) of Guwahati Jayanta Sarathi Bora said.
Police have collected CCTV footage from the area and seized two vehicles belonging to the actor for further investigation. “We have sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for tests,” police said.
Locals who witnessed the accident said the vehicle was at high speed and did not stop after hitting Haque, who suffered severe head injuries and multiple fractures.
GMC workers said they chased the vehicle after the accident and tracked it to an apartment complex in Kahilipara, where Kashyap allegedly tried to conceal the car and assaulted a bystander who was recording the incident on his mobile phone.
“We want justice for our son. She (Nandini) didn’t even come to see him once. She had promised to take care of his treatment but abandoned us when we needed help the most,” Haque’s mother said.
Rajdhani Theatre has officially terminated its contract with Kashyap. The theatre group, which had signed a two-year agreement with the actress, issued a statement condemning the incident and distancing itself from her.