Union minister Anantkumar Hegde claimed on Tuesday night that there was a “deliberate attempt” on his life after a truck rammed his escort vehicle in Karnataka. Hegde said there was a bigger conspiracy against him as the truck had targeted his vehicle first but missed because it was travelling at “top speed”.

The police have arrested the truck driver, the Hindustan Times reported. The incident took place while Hegde was travelling on the national highway in Halageri in Haveri district’s Ranebennur taluk.

“I suspect a serious attempt on my life looking at the incident as it doesn’t make [sic] an accident,” he said on Twitter. “The driver purposefully tried hitting our vehicle and then hit our escort vehicle which is quite evident in this video.”

Sharing images of the truck driver identified as Nasir, the Union minister urged “the police to take the case seriously”. “There might be a bigger nexus behind this incident and am sure the police will expose all of them,” he tweeted.

A member of his staff in the escort vehicle suffered a fractured shoulder. The police are investigating the incident.