New Delhi: In the summer of 2014, BJP veteran Gopinath Munde, then Union minister for rural development, died in a freak car crash in Lutyens’ Delhi — the only fatal accident in the capital involving a high-profile politician since Sanjay Gandhi’s death in a plane crash at Safdarjung airport in 1980.On June 3, 2014, Munde (64), a popular other backward class (OBC) figure from Maharashtra, was to catch a morning flight to Mumbai, barely days after taking oath. He had asked his security personnel not to accompany him from his official residence at 21, Lodhi Estate to the airport, Delhi Police later said.
Munde was sitting in the passenger seat of an SX4. The driver, Virender Kumar, and his assistant personal secretary, Surendra Nair, were the only people in the car. It was moving along Prithviraj Road towards Safdarjung Road when a speeding Indica rammed it at the Aurobindo Marg-Prithviraj Road crossing at 6.40am. Munde was rushed to AIIMS trauma centre in his car where he was declared dead. According to the post-mortem report, he had died of shock and haemorrhage following injuries to his neck and liver.Gurvinder Singh, 32, who was behind the wheel of the Indica, was arrested from the spot. He was granted bail the same day on a bond of Rs 30,000 and a surety of an equal amount. While Munde’s car had minor dents, the Indica, which police said was speeding at over 90 kilometres per hour, was mangled at the front.Cops sought assistance from IIT Delhi, Center for Road Research and Institute of Road Traffic Education in their investigation, which was being handled by a special team led by then deputy commissioner of police, SBS Tyagi. The case was later handed over to CBI. After an extensive inquiry, the agency ruled out foul play or criminal conspiracy and filed a chargesheet against Singh for causing death due to negligence (304A IPC) and rash and negligent driving (279), corroborating police’s initial findings. “A thorough scrutiny of all possible leads and angles was conducted. The antecedents and movements of suspects and all people associated with the minister were verified. The probe has ruled out foul play, and it has been concluded that Munde died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident,” according to the CBI report.
