Injured in freak accident, Nawab Malik’s son-in-law still critical

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik’s son-in-law Sameer Khan, who was critically injured in an accident on Tuesday, will be kept under observation for another 48 hours. He has already undergone two surgeries to remove blood clots in his head but is still unconscious, said police. The driver who allegedly lost control of the family’s sports utility vehicle and rammed it into Khan has been booked for rash driving and endangering human life, the police added.
According to the Vinoba Bhave Nagar police in Kurla West, the accident occurred at around 11am on Tuesday, when Khan and his wife – Nawab Malik’s daughter Nilofer Malik Khan – were waiting for their car in front of Criticare Hospital on Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg. Their driver, 38-year-old Abul Mohammad Saif Ansari, had parked the car in the hospital’s parking lot while they were undergoing a routine check-up.
“He had gone off to sleep while waiting. When Khan called him, he took the car in front of the hospital. But instead of applying brakes to bring it to a halt, he pressed the accelerator, ramming the car into Khan, who was dragged for over 50 feet,” said a police officer.
The car came to a halt when it hit the boundary wall of an adjacent complex, with Khan crushed between the vehicle and the wall. Locals extricated Khan and rushed him back into Criticare Hospital on a stretcher.
“Fortunately, nobody was traveling on the road when the SUV dragged Khan towards the wall. Three scooters which were parked nearby were damaged,” said the police officer. Khan’s wife and Malik’s daughter Nilofer, who was present at the spot, suffered minor injuries, he added.
“Khan has been operated upon twice to remove blood clots in his head but is still unconscious. Doctors said his condition is critical and he will be kept under observation in the ICU (intensive care unit) for the next 48 hours,” the officer noted.
Ansari, a Kurla resident, had been working with the family as a driver for the past three years. He has been booked under sections 281 (rash driving), 125 (rash or negligent acts that put human life or personal safety at risk), and 324 (4) (mischief) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
“We have served a notice on him to appear before the investigation officer and allowed him to go,” said the police officer.