Is the driver who hit Gopinath Munde's car really to blame?

Gurvinder Singh, the driver of the Indica which hit Gopinath Munde’s SX-4 car and caused Munde’s death, was released on bail by a Delhi court on Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_1555771” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Gurvinder Singh (left) was the driver of the Indica that hit Munde’s SX-4 car.[/caption] According to a report in The Hindustan Times, circumstantial evidence, especially skid marks, suggest that it was actually the driver of Munde’s vehicle who was responsible for the accident. In the report, a police source said, “Looking at the 31-feet-long brake marks left by the Indica, it is clear that the driver had acquired his regular speed after seeing that the traffic signal was green. It was to save the minister’s car, which suddenly came in his way, that he applied the brakes." The report added that the signal had been programmed to stay green for a mere 15 seconds, which caused a misunderstanding between the two drivers. Moreover, the driver of Munde’s vehicle was just filling in for the permanent driver, who was on leave. However, other reports suggest that it was Singh who was primarily at fault during the accident. A Times of India report quotes police sources as saying, “He said he had helped the other party without knowing that it was a minister’s car. He said he waited for police to arrive and did not try to flee. However, his not calling police immediately after the accident, and the fact that his car skidded for 31 feet while Munde’s car did not skid at all, go against him.” Singh was produced before the court where Magistrate Puneet Pahwa concluded that his offences against Singh were bailable and police could arrest him later on if required. The police, however, had wanted Singh to be remanded to 14 days of judicial custody and put through a Test Identification Parade. Advocate Vikas Padora, who appeared for Singh, opposed the police plea. The police also said the Intelligence Bureau and Special Cell would still continue investigating the accident to see if there was any conspiracy behind it. Singh was arrested under sections 279 (rash and negligent driving) and 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code. The offences entail a maximum punishment of two years in jail. According to a report in The Times of India, 32-year-old Singh is a Mehrauli resident who works for a transport company. Singh was going to work on Tuesday morning when the accident occurred. His car hit Munde’s vehicle towards the passenger side where Munde was sitting. He claims he has never been in an accident in his life and was not reponsible for the incident on Tuesday. He saw that the traffic signal had turned green and therefore chose to drive past it. The report added that Singh’s hometown is in Punjab. He has been staying in his house in Mehrauli since April 2013.  Singh’s neighbours backed him and said he was a safe driver and said they had never seen him drive rashly.