Belthangady: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Sharan Pumpwell has stirred controversy by stating that the recent stone-pelting incident at the residence of MLC Ivan D'Souza should have occurred much earlier. Speaking at a press conference organized by the VHP on Thursday to announce an event in Ujire, Pumpwell openly expressed his dissatisfaction with the timing of the attack.

"Dakshina Kannada is a district of patriots. Opposing anti-national statements is seen as a duty here, and someone has fulfilled that duty. I hold the district administration and police department responsible for the delay. If they had taken action against Ivan D'Souza for his statements earlier, this incident would not have happened," Pumpwell remarked.

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The VHP leader was referring to a statement made by Ivan D'Souza in which the MLC reportedly spoke about storming the Raj Bhavan in a manner similar to the protests against Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Pumpwell criticized the authorities for what he described as selective law enforcement.

"A case was registered against a statement opposing namaz on the road, and another against the Belthangady MLA. Why hasn’t a case been filed against Ivan D'Souza yet? The police are showing double standards, and that's why such incidents occur," he added.

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Bengaluru (PTI): The driver of the truck involved in the accident in Nelamangala which killed six people, claimed on Monday that there was a car ahead of his vehicle and to prevent collision, he turned the steering wheel towards the road divider which led to the accident.

Police, however, refused to share details about the investigation, claiming it will hamper their probe.

According to police, a Deputy Superintendent of Police rank officer is investigating the case and said a detailed investigation is being carried out to ascertain the cause of the accident. The CCTV cameras installed in and around the area of the accident site are also being verified as part of the probe.

"A DYSP rank officer is investigating the case. We are also doing a case study, keeping in mind the road safety aspects as well. At this stage, we do not want to reveal any details which would further hamper the probe," a senior police officer said.

Speaking to reporters, the Jharkhand-based truck driver, Arif, who was hospitalised with injuries sustained during the accident, claimed that there was a car ahead of his truck, and that he was going at 40 kmph.

"The car driver applied sudden brakes and I lost control of my vehicle. To save the car, I turned the steering wheels towards the road divider on the right. But then I saw another car, and took a left again. Due to this, the container which was loaded with steel fell," he added.

The truck driver was unaware that a SUV car got crushed beneath his vehicle and that it led to the death of six of the family, police said.

The accident occurred at Nelamangala near Talekere on the Bengaluru outskirts last Saturday. The family was on the way to Vijayapura.