Mumbai: Nooriya Yusuf Haveliwala, the 27-year-old woman, who was drunk when she drove her car in a police jeep, a taxi and a motorcycle killing two people on early on Saturday morning faces homicide charges.
Police claim she was nine times above permissible alcohol limits when she crushed a police sub-inspector and a motorcyclist to death.
Two other policemen are battling for their lives in a Mumbai hospital.
Police say that Nooriya was driving at a high speed of 110-120 kilometres per hour when she drove her Honda CRV into a police van, a taxi and a motorcycle.
Mumbai traffic police are now looking for stricter laws to deal with the menace of drunk driving.
Mumbai traffic police have recommended that first-time drunk drivers face imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of Rs 10,000 up from the existing maximum jail term of six months and fine of Rs 2,000 only.
The police have also proposed that motor accidents and traffic violations leading to grievous injury be made non-bailable under the Motor Vehicles Act.
For all other traffic offences, they have recommended that the fine be raised from the Rs 100 now to a Rs 1,000.
After the 2006 Allister Pereira hit and run case, in which seven labourers were crushed to death, Mumbai Police's stringent clampdown resulted in cancellation of over 21,000 driving licences till date but after the Nooriya episode the police force recommends even more tougher laws to which the state doesn't seem to be averse.
"Drunken driving laws need to be made more stringent. The Act has to be amended at the Central level and we will also do everything we can," said Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal.
Nearly 22,000 drunken drivers have been put behind bars in the city since 2007.
The question is will even more stringent laws act as a deterrent for people like Nooriya?
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