Terming the accident “an unfortunate incident” BJP MLA C T Ravi has clarified that he left accident spot only after ensuring that the victims were tended to by the police and the medical team.
In a self-recorded message, Ravi said, “The accident is unfortunate. I left from Chikkamagalur towards Chennai at 11.30 pm yesterday. I was asleep, while my driver Akash was at the wheel. My gunman Raja Nayak too was accompanying me. I realised that there had been an accident only after the airbags opened and after I got down. Soon after realising that two persons were dead, I called the ambulance and the police. I left the place and got myself hospitalised only after the police and the ambulance arrived at the scene.” Ravi also said that he had cancelled his Chennai trip. “I will meet the families of the deceased. I pray to God that the family members gain the strength to tide through this difficulty. I understand their pain. But this was unintentional,” he added.
Earlier in the day, the BJP issued a statement clarifying that Ravi was not driving the vehicle. “He was not driving the car, nor does he have a drinking habit as reported. He suffered chest injuries, which was attended to by doctors. He left the place after the SI permitted him, and the car was taken over by the police for further investigation. He still has mild chest pain and is under rest now, it said.