Union minister Hegde claims he escaped bid to assassinate him

Claiming a 'deliberate attempt' seemed to have been made on his life, Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde said he had a narrow escape on Tuesday night when a lorry coming on the wrong side of the highway almost hit his vehicle.

'A deliberate attempt on my life seems to have been executed just now. A truck on NH, near Halageri in Ranebennur taluk of Haveri district has hit my escort vehicle which tried to hit my vehicle in the first instance,' he tweeted after the incident.

'Since our vehicle was in top speed we escaped the hit,' the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said.

However, he said, the 'support staff in the escort vehicle has suffered severe injuries in the form of shoulder fracture'.

The minister, in his official twitter handle, also said the lorry driver was caught by the locals.

'The driver named Nasir has been caught hold by the localites and seems to be normal without any alcoholic hangover,' he said.

He asked the police to inquire into the incident.