
NEW DELHI, June 7: The Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly Tejashwi Yadav escaped a major road accident when a speeding truck hit his convoy leaving three security personnel seriously injured.
The incident took place at 1:30 AM on Saturday in Hajipur, Vaishali district near Goraul when he was returning from Madhepura after attending a political gathering. The truck hit two vehicles of the convoy when Mr Yadav along with party spokesperson Shakti Yadav stopped for tea at National Highway 22.
Mr Yadav, the former Deputy Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader, told the media persons, “We were returning from Madhepura after a programme and we stopped for tea in Vaishali. I saw the truck getting slightly imbalanced in front of me and hit two to three vehicles.”
He further said, “My security guards were standing and the truck driver hit them, leaving security personnel injured. The truck was just five feet away and if the truck would have imbalanced earlier then it could have hit us as well.”
Vaishali Civil Surgeon Dr Shyamnandan Prasad said the injured security personnel were being treated in the Sadar hospital and doctors were monitoring the situation. “If the situation is not under control, the injured will be referred to better health facilities,” Mr Prasad told the media.
The truck driver who hit a convoy earlier fled away from the spot but was caught near the toll gate by Sarai police station officers. Police have arrested the truck driver and interrogated him. Police also asked Mr Yadav whether there was any security lapse in his convoy, however Mr Yadav termed it a mere accident and urged the police to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Mahua MLA Mukesh Kumar Raushan, which falls under Vaishali district, also reached the spot in the night and urged the police to investigate whether the truck driver was driving after drinking liquor, calling it very common in Bihar despite being a dry State.
Mr Yadav’s sister Rohini Acharya, however, smelt conspiracy in the road accident and asked whether the incident was deliberate to harm his brother. She expressed her displeasure over the social media by posting a message on ‘X’.
“The negligence shown by the local administration in Tejashwi’s security is a matter of serious concern, and it should be investigated promptly. How did a truck manage to come within just five feet of Tejashwi’s vehicle in the convoy? Is it possible that the laxity and negligence in security were deliberate, with the intent to harm Tejashwi? This is not the first time such an incident has occurred; similar events have happened with Tejashwi’s convoy in the past as well,” Ms Acharya said in the post.
(Manas Dasgupta)