Hema Malini’s driver held, gets bail

Jaipur, July 3 

Actress and BJP MP Hema Malini’s driver was today arrested on charges of overspeeding and causing death by negligence after her Mercedes collided with another car, killing a four-year-old girl and injuring the actress along with four others last night. The 66-year-old actress underwent a surgery for her wounds at Fortis hospital here and was doing fine, doctors attending to her said. She was also treated for a minor fracture on her nose.

Mahesh Chand Thakur, who was driving Hema’s car when it met with the accident in Dausa, 60 km from here, has been arrested at Kotwali Thana in Dausa, SHO Dilip Singh told PTI.

An FIR was lodged against the driver, who hails from Vrindavan, under various sections of IPC including 279 (rash driving) and 304 (A) (causing death by negligence not amounting to culpable homicide) in the wee hours, the SHO said.

Thakaur was produced before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Pallavi Sharma who granted bail to the driver. He was later released on bail. Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Hema’s daughter Esha Deol visited the BJP MP at the hospital. “She had lacerations in para-nasal area and on forehead near the right eyebrow,” P Tamboli, facility director at Fortis said.

“A surgery of debridement and repair of lacerated wounds was carried out post midnight,” he said.

It was a two-hour process under general anaesthesia. She is now in post-operative intensive care unit, he said. “Her clinical parameters are at normal level. She is doing fine and has been started on liquid diet,” Tamboli said. A team of specialists was attending to her, he said. Doctors said Hema also suffered a minor fracture in her nasal bone. Plastic surgery was carried out near the nose and eyebrows and it will take six weeks for the wounds to heal. — PTI