A law student accused of driving a Tata Nexon EV into people and parked motorcycles after an argument at a roadside eatery in Bhubaneswar has been booked on attempted-murder charges, police said. Four people were injured and at least seven motorcycles were damaged in the incident near SR Valley Chhak and Kesora on the Kataka-Puri Bypass on Monday.
The accused, identified as Soumya Ranjan Rath, was arrested by Badagada police after local residents reportedly stopped him as he attempted to leave the area. He was taken to Capital Hospital for a medical examination before being produced in court. Police have registered four fresh cases at Badagada police station under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and other serious sections.
According to Zone-4 ACP Abhimanyu Nayak, the incident followed an argument between Rath and the owner and staff of the roadside eatery. Police said Rath initially left the spot with two companions, but CCTV footage showed the vehicle travelling around 300 to 400 metres before turning back and accelerating towards people and vehicles near the roadside.
Investigators said the electric vehicle made a second attempt to approach the area through another route before stalling during a third attempt. Police have alleged that the car was used as a weapon and that the incident involved an intention to cause death or serious injury. The precise sequence of events, the role of Rath’s companions and the trigger for the argument remain under investigation.
Police also said medical checks indicated that Rath had consumed alcohol. The allegation has drawn further scrutiny because Rath had been out on bail since August in a separate case involving a fatal Mercedes crash in July.
On the night of July 13, Rath allegedly struck and killed 37-year-old AC mechanic Debiprasad Routray near Sastri Nagar Square. According to the report, a breathalyser test recorded 127 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. Routray, who was from the Tirtol area of Jagatsinghpur district, was the sole breadwinner for his wife and young daughter, police said. Rath was arrested the following day and booked for rash driving, culpable homicide not amounting to murder and drunk driving before being released on bail.
The Regional Transport Office in Bhubaneswar has begun proceedings to cancel Rath’s driving licence, which had previously been suspended after the July case, and revoke the registration of the Nexon EV involved in Monday’s incident. Officials are also examining the vehicle’s ownership and items recovered from it, including an identity card belonging to Additional DCP Tapan Kumar Patnaik, to establish whether the document is genuine.
Police are treating the new cases as separate from the fatal crash. The latest arrest, however, has brought renewed attention to the enforcement of driving restrictions and the administrative process governing licences and vehicle registrations when serious criminal cases are pending. Further investigation and court proceedings will determine the charges and evidence in both matters.
