The Rajasthan transport department has slapped a fine of Rs 7,000 on the son of Deputy Chief Minister Premchand Bairwa over a video showing him violating traffic rules. The unsupervised changes included driving, not using seat belts and using cell phones while driving. The incident drew public condemnation and Bairwa later expressed remorse, advising his son not to repeat such acts.
Viral video leads to action
Recently, a video surfaced of Deputy CM Premchand Bairwa's son and Congress leader Pushpander Bhardwaj's son driving along with two others in the back seat. Behind the vehicle was a Rajasthan government vehicle with police lights. The incident on Jaipur’s Amber Road quickly went viral, triggering a public outcry.
Bairwa defends, then regrets incident
Earlier, defending his son, Bairwa said the boy had gotten into luxury cars through his rich school friends. He explained that his son was under the legal age to drive and that the police car was for security purposes. However, Bairwa later expressed regret, saying he did not want the incident to tarnish the reputation of his party and advised his son not to behave like that again.
"My son is friends with other kids from school. I want to thank the honourable prime minister for making someone like me the deputy chief minister of Rajasthan. And after this, if wealthy individuals allow my son to sit with them in their cars and give him a chance to see luxury cars, then I am thankful," Bairwa had said.
"The police vehicle was following them for protection. If people interpret it differently, that is their view, but I do not blame my son or his friends," he added.
Traffic violations and fines
After examining the video, the transport department fined Bairwa’s son Rs 7,000 for several traffic violations, including Rs 5,000 for making unauthorised modifications, Rs 1,000 for not wearing safety belt and Rs 1,000 for using a mobile phone while driving. The car belonged to Bhardwaj’s son, for which a notice was issued under the Motor Vehicles Act.
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