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Was On The Phone, Don't Lack Empathy, Says Telangana Minister Whose Convoy Drove Past An Accident Victim

Sure.
One victim died on the spot and two were seriously injured.
AFP/Getty Images
One victim died on the spot and two were seriously injured.

A minister in the Telangana government who is facing criticism after a video of his convoy driving past a road accident victim went viral on Monday, has now said that his convoy could not stop because he was in a hurry.

The minister for tribal welfare, Azmeera Chandulal, claimed that while he had seen the body he could not stop because he was rushing to see a relative who was in a critical condition.

The Hindustan Times quoted Chandulal as saying, "I was busy attending a call from my relatives when my convoy went past the accident spot. In the normal circumstances, I would have got down and called on the accident victims but I was in a hurry then. It is not that I lack humanity. After all, they are my constituency people."

Meanwhile, India Today reported that Chandulal's secretary said that allegations against the minister were false.

The recorded video clip of the sad incident however has another story to tell.

A screenshot from the video shows people of the village in the Jayashankar Bhupalapally district gathered around the body of the victim, Madhusudhana Chary, which lay motionless on the road, and the ministerial cavalcade driving past the scene.

India Today quoted the villagers as saying that it was Chandulal's convoy.

Chary was on a motorcycle with his friends Gopi and Sateesh, going to the Ramappa temple when the motorcycle was hit by a truck. While Chary died on the spot, Gopi and Sateesh were seriously injured.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.