The death of Kolkata-based model Sonika Chauhan is apparently coming back to haunt Bengali actor Bikram Chatterjee. They were involved in car accident last month which led to the death of Sonika. Now, a viral video has surfaced, showing that Bikram was drunk hours before the incident.
The emergence of the video has swung the needle of blame back on Bikram, who was arrested and then released on bail in connection with the case. He claims it was a case of pure accident and nothing else. Two days after the April 29 accident, he had also refuted allegations that he was intoxicated or that the car was speeding at 120 kmph.
Eyewitnesses speak up
And as if the video was not enough, two witnesses have told Times Now that they saw Bikram not only drinking, but also intoxicated that night, before he and Sonika hopped into his car and decided to return home. One eyewitness said: "He cannot deny that he wasn't drunk. He was drinking. I am the proof. He was also mixing his drinks that night."
Another has been quoted as saying: "I was pretty shocked to read Bikram's statement in the newspaper which is such a big lie. I am shocked that he can blatantly lie like this. I have seen him drinking. How can he say he did not drink? He was drinking away to glory that night. He must have had around 4 pegs."
Mother, friends call for justice
Sonika's mother Sharon Singh has already taken to Facebook to claim that it was negligence that led to her daughter's death. However, she did not specifically name Bikram in the post when saying: "We need answers and we have not got any...why???what??? How?? [sic]"
She also wrote: "She [Sonika] took the decision to trust a friend and trust her life with him at the wheel why did it go so wrong...not only did it end her life...but it was clearly reckless & rash ..negligence causing her life to be snatched away...she did not deserve this she was living life to the fullest planning so much more [sic]."
Meanwhile, a petition on Change.org — purportedly from "friends, family, school mates, and associates" of Sonika — has appealed to Kolkata Police as well as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for a "proper and transparent investigation" into the incident.
The petition, which has more than 3,000 signatories at the time of the filing of this report, claims: "The individual who was driving the vehicle is alive and well, and was (as video evidence shows) clearly drinking alcohol on that fateful night. He has evaded justice so far, and refuses to own up to the fact that he was indeed under the influence, and is therefore responsible of drunken and rash driving which led to the death of this young person, whom he calls his 'dear friend'."
