Two die, 4 hurt as SUV with MLA tag hits them

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: In a shocking incident, two people were killed while four others got injured after a “speeding” SUV ran over them at the busy court complex junction on Nrupatunga Road in the city on Monday.

The SUV sported a pass with the name of Hartalu Halappa, BJP MLA, but it is said that the MLA was not in the vehicle during the time of the accident. Later, it was revealed that the car was registered in the name of Halappa’s in-laws and was using the pass to get some MLA privileges.

The driver of the SUV, later identified as Mohan, 48, a resident of Yelahanka, told police that he mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, to stop before the signal, and lost control and collided with a series of vehicles and ran over people.

Owing to the impact, two scooter riders came under the wheels of the car. While one was crushed to death on the spot, the other sustained multiple injuries and later died. The deceased have been identified as Majeed Khan, 36, an automobile spare parts dealer and a resident of HBR Layout, and Ayyappa, 60, a parking lot manager and resident of KG Halli here.

Four others were injured in the accident and they have been identified as Riyaz Pasha, Mohammed K Riyaz, Mohammed Saleem and Sher Gilani. They are being treated at different private hospitals in the city. As many as two cars and three bikes were damaged, a police officer, part of the inspection team, said.

Traffic movement on the busy road was disrupted for a while when people rushed to the accident spot to have a look, while the traffic police struggled to contain the situation and shift the victims to hospital, and took the driver into custody and seized the car.

People accused the driver of driving under the influence of alcohol and were infuriated after noticing a pass in the name of the MLA. Enquiries established that the car is registered in the name of Ramu Suresh, a retired forest officer and a resident of Yelahanka.

The driver was on his way to collect Halappa’s daughter from the KIMS college where she is pursuing her MD, a police officer said. Mohan was in a hurry to reach the college when the accident occurred, police said.