In a major shock to the newly formed Modi government, senior BJP leader and Union rural development minister Gopinath Munde died at All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Tuesday morning after he succumbed to his injuries following a car accident near Motibagh area in the capital at around 6.30 this morning.
Munde was reportedly moving in a convoy to Delhi airport to catch his Mumbai flight. Midway near Motibagh, his SX4 was hit by an Indica car.
He had suffered multiple injuries including injuries to the chest and head and was on ventilator. The minister suffered cardiac arrest while treatment at AIIMS trauma center.
He was supposed to attend a victory rally in Beed, Maharashtra on Tuesday.
Senior BJP leaders, cabinet ministers including Nitin Gadkari and Harsh Vardhan have also rushed to AIIMS. His family members too have left for Delhi.
Munde is the brother-in-law of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan.
Reports suggest it was a head-on collision with another car and he had lost blood due to the accident. The driver of the Indica car which hit the minister’s car has been taken into custody.
Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the accident took place at 6.30 am on Tuesday morning and was declared dead at AIIMS. “There was no breathing, no pulse, no cardiac function when Mr Munde was brought to the hospital. Despite efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 7.20 am,” said AIIMS spokesperson Dr Amit Gupta.
Munde’s Ambassador car was reportedly hit by an Indica. The driver of the Indica has been arrested.
A driver and Munde’s security guard, who were with Munde in his car at the time of the accident, are reportedly safe.
Gadkari said that there are reports that Munde suffered a heart attack after the accident that lead to his death but the party is waiting for the post-mortem to know the exact cause of his death. Gadkari also said that Munde suffered several head injuries.
“Munde’s body will be taken to the party headquarters at 12.30 pm on Tuesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been informed about the accident,” Gadkari added.
