Two months on, the crater that caused the accident in Thane's Ambernath town is intact, even though the road has been freshly laid.

Losing her mother on 26 July was a huge shock for Priti Rathod. The 26-year-old was returning home with her mother when her scooter fell into a pothole in a town near Mumbai. Her mother was thrown off the scooter and died of head injuries.Priti, who works with a multinational company, has now been charged with causing her mother's death by rash driving."I am too shocked to react. The cops have made me the accused in a case where my mother was killed," she told NDTV.When Priti went to the police to complain against the contractor involved in the construction of the road, they allegedly refused to register her complaint and recorded a case of "accidental death."Two months on, the crater that caused the accident in Thane's Ambernath town is intact, even though the road has been freshly laid.The police, initially justifying their action against Priti, said it is the driver's responsibility to ensure the passenger's safety. But this evening they backed off, saying they would examine if an FIR could be filed against the people responsible for maintaining the road.Several residents of the town call it an example of police insensitivity."She lost her mother for no fault of hers. The civic authorities should be held responsible but instead the police are going after someone who is already traumatised by her mother's death. This is a pathetic state of affairs," said Satyajeet Burman, a founder of the Ambernath Citizen's Forum, which has over 4000 members.Last week, in a similar case, a young techie in Bengaluru was killed as her husband lost control of their bike after falling into a large pothole on a flyover. The police filed a case of negligence against him.Senior Bengaluru traffic police officer MA Saleem said, "We have great sympathy for the rider who lost his wife but this is procedural. This is a routine procedure for any accident that involves a single vehicle."Mr Saleem said the charges were bailable and generally dropped when it was proved that the person driving the vehicle was not at fault. "Registration of a case is also essential for insurance claims," he said.