Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde’s convoy was hit by a truck near Ranebennur, Haveri district, on Tuesday night when he was travelling from Sirsi to Bengaluru, injuring a policeman. The Minister immediately took to Twitter to claim this was an attempt on his life. His tweets set off a series of responses by several BJP leaders, claiming foul play in the accident. MP for Mysuru Pratap Simha tweeted suggesting a role of the Chief Minister in the incident. Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Wednesday said preliminary probe by the police indicated no foul play. “The way in which Mr. Hegde and other BJP leaders have jumped to a conclusion smacks of political opportunism and scant regard for facts,” he said. In a series of tweets on Tuesday night Mr. Hegde alleged that the truck “tried to hit his vehicle in the first instance” and he escaped only since his car had gone past. He further said the locals apprehended the truck driver, Naseer Ahmed, and that he was not drunk. Some BJP leaders sought to give the accident a communal spin. Union Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda said the accident needs to be probed as the recent murders of Hindutva activists raised suspicions. Preliminary inquiries by the police revealed that Naseer, 34, was transporting a load of food items from Hubballi APMC Yard to Shivamogga. “He was talking on the phone while driving and missed a turn towards Shivamogga. So he was taking a U-turn from the wrong side when he hit the convoy car,” said Parashuram, Superintendent of Police, Haveri.

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