Lucknow: BJP MLA from Charkhari Brijbhushan Rajput on Thursday alleged that an attempt was made to kill him after a speeding dumper truck tried to hit his vehicle before crashing into an escort vehicle in his convoy in Mahoba district. Three security personnel were injured in the incident, while police have detained the truck driver and said an FIR is being registered.The incident occurred around 12.35 am near the Sankat Mochan Temple under the Kharela police station limits when Rajput was returning from a wedding function in Chandoura Pandua Dera village in neighbouring Hamirpur district.According to the MLA, as his convoy, comprising his private vehicle followed by two escort vehicles carrying his personal assistant, driver, govt gunner and security personnel, approached the spot, a banana-laden dumper allegedly veered towards his vehicle. Rajput claimed that his driver, Ravikant Mishra, showed exceptional presence of mind by steering the vehicle into a roadside ditch, narrowly averting a collision.However, the dumper allegedly rammed the escort SUV travelling immediately behind the MLA’s vehicle. The impact left the SUV badly damaged and injured three occupants : govt gunner Shyam Singh, private security guard Kishanpal, and driver Jitendra. All three were rushed to the Kharela Community Health Centre for treatment.Eyewitnesses alleged that the dumper driver tried to flee after the crash and dragged the damaged escort vehicle for some distance before local residents chased and overpowered him. Police later reached the spot, detained the driver and seized the vehicle.Police said the dumper, bearing registration number MH-19 CX-8255, was transporting bananas from Madhya Pradesh to Kanpur and is reportedly owned by Kundan Mahajan of Jalgaon, Maharashtra.Terming the incident suspicious, Rajput alleged it was a planned attack rather than an accident. He said he wroteto chief minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary, the DGP and local authorities nearly two months ago, expressing fears about threats to his life, including the possibility of a staged road accident.“I already informed the authorities about the threat to my life. The dumper first attempted to hit my vehicle and then rammed the escort vehicle. The entire incident appears suspicious,” Rajput said, demanding a Special Investigation Team probe.His father and former MP Gangacharan Rajput also sought an impartial inquiry. Kharela SHO Nanhe Lal said the truck wasseized, the driver detained and an FIR was being registered. He added that police were investigating all possible angles.
