Union Minister Gopinath Munde dies in a road accident in Delhi; PM Modi calls it a major blow to the nation and the government

Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde passed away on Tuesday morning after meeting with a fatal car accident in Delhi.

[Click] LIVE UPDATES: Gopinath Munde's body reaches Mumbai; Party leaders mourns his passing

Munde was en route to Indira Gandhi International airport to take a flight to Mumbai when the accident occurred at around 6.20 am in Delhi's Moti Bagh area, not far from senior BJP leader LK Advani. His car was involved in a collision with another car, an Indica, which had jumped the traffic signal at Aurobindo Chowk, a senior police official said. Munde was travelling from Prithviraj Road towards Sarfadjung Road in a Maruti SX 4 with a personal security guard and his personal driver. The driver of the Indica has been arrested and preliminary inquiries are in progress.

Officials examining the car which had hit Gopinath Munde's vehicle earlier pic.twitter.com/KH6obyuVK7

— ANI (@ANI_news) June 3, 2014

According to his private secretary, who spoke to dna, though not physically injured in the accident, Munde suffered a massive cardiac arrest. He asked for a glass of water, which he drank, and then told his driver to rush him to hospital. He then collapsed in the car.​ He was rushed to the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) trauma centre at 6.30.

"Munde was brought to the emergency department of Jai Prakash Narain Apex Trauma Centre, AIIMS at 6:30 am by his personal assistant and driver. Munde was sitting in the backseat of his car which was hit by another car or any other vehicle at around 6:20 am from the side he was sitting," Dr Amit Gupta of the Trauma Centre told reporters.​

According to doctors at AIIMS, when Munde arrived at the hospital, he had no blood pressure, he was not breathing, and there was no pulse. Doctors carried out CPR on him for 50 minutes, but failed to revive him after his heart failed to function. Munde was a diabetes patient and also suffered from hypertension. He was declared dead at 7.20 am. Doctors say, clinically, he died from a cardiac arrest since no cardiac activity was detectable.

"On his arrival at the Trauma Centre, there was no spontaneous breathing, no blood pressure, no pulse, no cardiac activity. So immediately Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) was started and continued for the next 15 minutes. Despite resuscitative measures, Munde could not be revived and was declared dead at 7:20 am," he said.

The doctor said, "Munde was hypertensive and a sugar patient. He was already taking medicines. Right now there are no major external injuries on his body. We cannot say anything but clinically we might say that he had a sudden cardiac death".​ As it is a medico-legal cause the reason for the death can only be ascertained after postmortem, the doctor said.

Former BJP president and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan, spoke to the media, and confirmed the news of Munde's death. Harsh Vardhan said Munde had no external, physical injuries apart from an abrasion on his nose. The cause of death will be determined after a post-mortem.

The body has been shifted to the mortuary for post-mortem. A board has been formulated by the head of forensics to conduct the post-mortem.

The spot where Gopinath Munde's accident happened pic.twitter.com/mAXEskKBlG

— ANI (@ANI_news) June 3, 2014

Munde's body will be taken to the BJP headquarters at 11 Ashoka Road for party leaders to pay their last respects. Gadkari said Munde's body will be flown by a special chartered flight to Latur airport in Maharahstra on Tuesday evening, from where he will be taken to his village, Parali, in Beed district for his last rites, which will be performed on Wednesday. 

Munde's family is on its way to Delhi.

Munde ji's family are on their way to Delhi-Raosaheb Dadarao Danve,BJP pic.twitter.com/TC6jSe0tKW

— ANI (@ANI_news) June 3, 2014

As a mark of respect to Munde, the national flag is being flown at half mast in Delhi, state capitals and Union Territories on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Munde's death is a major blow to the nation and the government. Other senior BJP leaders, and the Shiv Sena as well,  have also expressed their shock and grief at Munde's sudden death.

For latest updates, click here. 

Also Read: Pall of gloom in Gopinath Munde's hometown after his death in a freak accident.

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