Bengaluru; Two people were killed on the spot, while three others sustained injuries after the car, in which MLA C.T. Ravi was travelling, knocked them down early on Tuesday morning at Kunigal near Tumakuru.
Shashi Gowda, 20, and Sunil Gowda, 27, are the deceased, while their three friends who are injured are being treated at a private hospital and are said to be out of danger. The police said that the victims were returning from the Kollur temple in two cars.
Ravi, a BJP general secretary and legislator from Chikkamagaluru, was on his way to Chennai with his gunman Raja Nayak and driver Akash when the accident took place near Kunigal Bypass.
The police said that around 1.45 am Ravi's car crashed into two stationary vehicles - a Swift and a Scorpio - and later knocked down Shashi and Sunil, who were attending nature's call on the roadside. Ravi too sustained minor injuries in the accident, they said.
Local residents staged a protest, alleging that Ravi did not attend to the victims and left the spot immediately.
Ravi, however, said, "It was an unfortunate incident that took place last night in Kunigal. I left Chikkamagaluru around 11.30 pm and I had fallen asleep. My driver Akash was driving and my gunman Raja Nayak was also in the car. I woke up after the vehicle abruptly halted and the airbags opened. I realised that something had happened. I felt an immense pain in my body and had scratches on my chest. Soon, I gained consciousness and realised that two people had died. I tried calling an ambulance three to four times, but could not get any. I then called the police station and informed them."
He said, "Soon, the sub-inspector, along with an ambulance, reached the spot and shifted the bodies. I went through all the procedures and then came to Vikram Hospital for treatment for my injuries."
He said that he was on his way to Chennai and cancelled the event after the accident. Ravi said that he will meet the victims' families. "I hope that God gives them the strength to withstand their loss. I understand what their families must be going through. But I want to inform them that it was not intentional," he said.
The Kunigal police have registered a case and booked Ravi's driver Akash, who has also sustained injuries, under IPC Section 304A (death by negligence).
