Youth dead in hit-and-run accident involving SUV of former minister HM Revanna’s son

BENGALURU: A two-wheeler rider died in a hit-and-run accident involving an SUV belonging to former minister and Congress guarantee implementation committee chairman H M Revanna’s son Shashank near Gudemaranhalli in Magadi taluk around 10.30 pm on Tuesday. The deceased identified as 23-year-old Rajesh, was returning home from work.

According to eyewitnesses, the car in which Shashank, along with his family members, including his wife and an elderly person, fled the scene. Locals chased the car and stopped it near the SunPure factory, about 5 km away from the scene of the accident.

Revanna’s son Shashank and his SUV.

Shashank reportedly shouted at the locals that he was H M Revanna’s son and tried to escape after claiming that he would park the vehicle by the roadside, but the locals managed to detain him. The Toyota Fortuner SUV was later found parked at the Kudur police station.

The victim’s brother-in-law, also named Rajesh, stated that the rider Rajesh were hit by the Fortuner car while he was on his two-wheeler. He alleged that the car was being driven recklessly and that Shashank was trying to escape after hitting Rajesh.

“When I checked the SUV registration, it showed the name of Shashank Vatsala. The deceased is my wife’s brother. I had crossed the toll plaza and I was informed about the Fortuner speeding away. We chased it and stopped it near the SunPure factory. Shashank and the driver claimed that Rajesh was coming from the opposite direction, hit the SUV bumped and fell to the road, injuring his head. Shouldn’t they have at least checked if he was alive or not?, he said.

Reacting to the incident, H M Revanna has issued a statement on Friday expressing his shock and sadness over the incident, saying that his son was not driving the car at the time of the accident and that it was being driven by a driver named Nagaraj. He has also appealed for a fair investigation and promised to cooperate with the authorities.

“There were 4-5 people in the car at that time. I visited the spot and got the body shifted by ambulance. I have seen the statement of the victim’s family claiming that Shashank was drunk. Let the investigation bring out the truth and the guilty be punished. Let them make an insurance claim and I too will help the family”, he added.