Corporator, two friends killed in highway crash

The BJP corporator from the Lakkasandra ward in Bengaluru and two of his friends were killed on the spot in a collision between two cars on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, near Gowripura in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya district on Sunday morning.

Mahesh Babu (40) was a second-time corporator from the Lakkasandra ward in the BTM Layout Assembly constituency.

The two others killed in the accident were identified as Balaji (40) of Bannerghatta and Mudassir Pasha (45) of Marathahalli. Jagadeep, who was travelling with them was seriously injured and has been hospitalised, the police said.

A Maruti Swift car that was going towards Mysuru from Bengaluru rammed the road divider, veered into the opposite lane and hit the Maruti WagonR in which the corporator and his friends were travelling to Bengaluru. The occupants of the other car, Suresh (38) his wife Bhavya (28) and their nine-year-old son Subhash and car driver Kumar (40), all residents of Thorehalli in Bengaluru were injured. They have been admitted to a private hospital in Mysuru, the police said.

It is said that Babu and his friends had been to Mysuru on Saturday and were returning to Bengaluru on Sunday morning. Suresh’s family was heading to Nanjangud. Suresh’s driver lost control over the vehicle and rammed the median. The Srirangapatna Town police have registered a case.

The police had a tough time controlling Babu’s supporters who had gathered in large numbers near his house in Lakkasandra in Bengaluru. Four inspectors and KSRP personnel were deployed to control the crowd. The police placed barricades to control the flow of visitors to Babu’s house. But local residents removed the barricades and rushed towards Babu’s house once his body was brought there around 5.30 pm.

Most of the shops in the area downed their shutters as a mark of respect to the departed leader. The local residents also burnt a tyre to express their anguish. The police have deployed additional forces in and around Babu’s residence. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, former deputy chief minister R Ashoka, Mayor B N Manjunath Reddy and other leaders visited Babu’s house and paid their last respects. The funeral will take place on Monday, family sources said.

Babu had served as chairman of the BBMP’s Standing Committee on Social Justice during his first term as corporator. He had introduced solar water heaters for slum dwellers in many areas. He is survived by his parents, Krishnappa and Sugunamma, wife Sarala and twin daughters Monisha and Monica, who are second standard students. Sarala and her two daughters were highly inconsolable.