Hubballi: Even as Union minister Anantkumar Hegde stepped up his shrill claim that he had survived an assassination attempt late Tuesday when his escort vehicle was rammed by a truck on National Highway-4 in Halageri village, Ranibennur taluk, Haveri district, police said they had not found any evidence to suggest it was an attempt on his life.
"This is a deliberate attempt on my life as the driver named Nasir was not drunk. The driver tried to hit our vehicle intentionally," Hegde tweeted.
The incident took place at 11 pm Tuesday night. Following it, the Minister tweeted that the truck had rammed his escort van after trying to hit his vehicle first. He claimed he escaped being hit as his car was travelling at high speed.
Superintendent of police, N Parashuram said the investigation had not found anything to suggest this. Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, the officer said interrogation of the truck driver, Nasir, who was from Chikkamagalur, revealed he was carrying a load of groceries from Hubballi to Shivamogga and rammed into the Minister's escort vehicle when illegally driving in the opposite direction on a one way.
While a more detailed investigation would be conducted into the case, he said "prima facie" it appeared to be an accident.
Assistant sub-inspector of police, Prabhu Talawar, who was travelling in the
escort vehicle, was injured and suffered a fractured shoulder. The Minister was travelling to Bengaluru from his native town of Sirsi in Uttar Kannada district. Mr Parashuram, explained that the driver had loaded his truck with groceries in Hubballi and was on his way to Shivamogga, when he inadvertently missed the crossroad on the National Highway from where he had to turn right. "So to return to it, he took a left by taking a U-turn towards Hubballi and in the process rammed into the escort vehicle of the minister accidentally," he said.
Although the Minister has not lodged a complaint, the district police has formed a special team to investigate the incident and had taken the truck driver into custody.
