Sonika's uncle lodges plaint

Celebrated model Sonika Chauhan's uncle lodged a complaint with the police against actor Bikram Chatterjee raising allegations that his reckless driving led to the model's death.

It may be recalled that Sonika was killed and Bikram was injured when their car collided against a roadside wall near Lake Mall on Rashbehari Avenue in the wee hours of Sunday. The car was being driven by Bikram.

Police said that the victim's maternal uncle B Michael alleged that Bikram was in an inebriated state when he was driving the car and it was his reckless driving that claimed the life of Sonika.

Sonika's maternal uncle lodged his complaint with Tollygunge police station and the police would initiate a probe on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on the basis of the complaint. The police had initiated a suo motu case on the day of the accident on charges of causing death due to negligence (304A IPC) and rash driving (279 IPC).

The punishment, if proved guilty under Section 304 A IPC, would be imprisonment for a maximum term of two years while it would go up to ten years if he is found guilty on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The police have directed authorities of the private hospital to inform them before releasing Bikram as they would take his statement.

A police officer said that they would speak to the people with whom Bikram and Sonika had spent time before they had started their journey. In a bid to ascertain whether the allegation of Michael that Bikram was driving the car in an inebriated state, the police would also speak to the people.

"Though blood samples have been collected that would also prove that whether he was in an inebriated state or not, statement of the people with whom they had spent

time is also essential in this connection," a police officer said.

Meanwhile, there had been certain posts on a social networking site criticising the reckless driving that took away the life of the celebrated model.