Pravin Togadia Escapes Unhurt as Truck Hits His Car at Suraj in Gujarat

Gujarat, March 7: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) international working president Pravin Togadia escaped unhurt today when a truck hit his vehicle from behind near Kamrej in Surat district, police said. Togadia later claimed he could have been killed had his vehicle not been bullet-proof, and alleged that his Z-plus security was "weakened deliberately" by the Gujarat government.

"A truck hit the vehicle carrying Togadia and another person, about a kilometre away from the Kamrej town when he was on his way to Surat to attend a function. Togadia escaped unhurt and we have seized the truck and arrested its driver," Surat rural Superintendent of Police M K Nayak said.

Togadia later told reporters that he could have been killed had his SUV (sports utility vehicle) not been bullet-proof. "Had the vehicle in which I was travelling not been bullet-proof, not a single person travelling in it could have survived," he said. Togadia said that as per the Z-plus security protocol, he was earlier provided a pilot vehicle to move ahead of his car, an escort vehicle and an ambulance behind it, and a vehicle on one side.

"This was the first time that while there was a police vehicle piloting our vehicle, no escort vehicle was provided behind our vehicle, as per directions from Gandhinagar," he alleged. "No information regarding this was given deliberately to the police. I would like to ask why this was so? In this situation, a truck hit my vehicle. After the truck hit our vehicle, it hit a divider. Despite that, the truck driver did not apply brakes," Togadia claimed. "My Z-plus security was weakened deliberately. If in such a situation my vehicle was hit and no brakes were applied, this is a matter of concern," he said.