Hit by Shobha Karandlaje's car door, man falls off scooter, run over by bus in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: An elderly man, said to be a BJP party worker, died in an accident involving Bengaluru North constituency candidate Shobha Karandlaje's SUV in Krishnarajapuram in eastern Bengaluru on Monday afternoon.

The police have registered an FIR against two people in relation to the case.

The accident occurred near K R Puram's Ganesha temple around 12.30 pm.

Shobha's driver had parked the Toyota Fortuner on the left-hand side of the road. He allegedly opened his door without looking, hitting 62-year-old T C Palya resident Prakash, who was riding his scooter. 

Prakash lost balance and fell under the wheels of a speeding private bus. Prakash died on the way to the government hospital in K R Puram, police sources said.

Shobha had arrived in the neighbourhood to canvas ahead of the elections.

"We know she travelled in the car but she wasn't in it when the accident occurred – only the driver was inside. We are checking the ownership details of the vehicle to know who else to name in the case," a senior police officer overseeing the case said. 

The police are investigating the possible negligence of both drivers, noting that prima facie, the fault lay on the car driver's part.

They have filed a case against Shobha’s driver for parking dangerously on the side of the road and against the bus driver for rash and negligent driving and causing death by negligence, according to relevant sections of the IPC.

Further details of Prakash's death will emerge after the post-mortem, they added.

Shobha, who visited the hospital where Prakash was shifted, described him as a "loyal party worker" and expressed regret over the accident.

"Prakash was our most loyal worker, working with us 24 hours every day. His death has saddened us all. The party will pay whatever compensation his family has to get," she told reporters on Monday.

Police sources could not confirm if Prakash was indeed a party worker, adding that Prakash's family has not made any mention of this in their complaint.