Amruta Nakhwa, the daughter of Kaveri Nakhwa, who was tragically killed in a hit-and-run incident in Mumbai, has demanded the death penalty for Mihir Shah, the son of Shiv Sena leader Rajesh Shah. Mihir Shah, who had been absconding for two days after the incident, was finally arrested by the Mumbai Police on Tuesday, 9 July. He is accused of ramming his BMW car into a two-wheeler, killing Kaveri Nakhwa and injuring her husband, Pradeep Nakhwa.
Amruta Nakhwa expressed her deep sorrow and anger, stating, “My mother should get justice. I want him (Mihir Shah) to get the death penalty. She (victim) was in a lot of pain, I saw her with my own eyes, in the hospital.”
Pradeep Nakhwa, who was riding the two-wheeler that was hit by Mihir Shah’s BMW, expressed his frustration and anger over the delay in arresting the Shiv Sena leader’s son. He questioned why Mihir Shah had gone into hiding for three days, claiming he was likely under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Pradeep Nakhwa alleged that Mihir Shah had abandoned the BMW car after it killed Kaveri Nakhwa and had even broken the number plate before fleeing the scene. He expressed deep pessimism about the judicial process, stating, “There won’t be any traces of alcohol in his body and he will have 20 lawyers with him. We are poor, who will give justice to us? Today he went to jail, day after tomorrow he will be produced in court and he will get bail. The case will go on and on and everything will cool down.”
NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Anil Deshmukh also voiced concerns about the potential lack of evidence of alcohol consumption in Mihir Shah’s blood after two days. He said, “Everyone knows that, two days ago, he was sitting in a bar and consuming alcohol. He paid the ₹ 18,000 bill and left the place. And after that, he ran over that woman with his car. He has been arrested today. Now, if they take his blood for a test, then it will be negative. This would benefit him in the court.”
Pradeep Nakhwa also directed his anger towards the Maharashtra government, accusing leaders like Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar of shielding Rajesh and Mihir Shah. He questioned why none of these leaders had visited their family to inquire about the incident.
According to preliminary investigations, the luxury BMW car driven by Mihir Shah rammed into a two-wheeler from behind in the Worli area on Sunday morning, 7 July. The impact resulted in the death of Kaveri Nakhwa (45), who was riding pillion, while her husband Pradeep survived with injuries. Kaveri Nakhwa was tragically dragged for around 1.5 km by the speeding car before Mihir Shah pulled it over, swapped the seat with his driver, and fled in another vehicle, according to police.
