Man involved in accident with Gowda's car kills self

A 24 year-old entrepreneur N Ramesh hanged himself after his car rammed into the rear of one in which Deve Gowda was travelling, reports BR Srikanth.

In a bizarre incident, a 24 year-old entrepreneur N Ramesh hanged himself after his car rammed into the rear of one in which former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda was travelling in the state capital on Wednesday night.

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The police said none, including the Janata Dal (S) leader, was injured in the mishap that occurred soon after Deve Gowda left his home to visit his son-in-law Dr Chandrashekar who lives a kilometre away. Ramesh, driving a Maruti 800, lost control at a traffic intersection and slammed into the rear of the former PM's car, denting its bumper.

Deve Gowda's driver Khan gave Ramesh a dressing down but drove away without informing the police.

However, according to Ramesh's cousin Umesh, some supporters of Deve Gowda showed up later and demanded Rs 25,000 to fix the damaged bumper.

"We gave them Rs 10,000 and after they left, we scolded Ramesh about the accident. I think he was nervous and shaken at seeing these men at our house. We found out that he hanged himself in his room in the night," he told reporters.

Janata Dal (Secular) spokesman YSV Dutta, however, said, "This is all rubbish. Nobody went there (to Ramesh's house) and asked for money. Let the police investigate the case and make known the truth about the accident," he said.