The Karnataka Police on Wednesday said there was no evidence to back Union minister Anantkumar Hegde’s claim of a “deliberate attempt” on his life. On Tuesday, Hegde said a truck rammed his escort vehicle in Karnataka’s Haveri district.

“I suspect a serious attempt on my life looking at the incident as it does not 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,” he said.

However, district Superintendent of Police N Parashuram told the Deccan Chronicle that the investigation into the incident did not corroborate Hegde’s claims. The officer said the truck driver Nasir, who is from Chikkamagalur, had said he was carrying a load of groceries from Hubballi to Shivamogga and had rammed Hegde’s vehicle while driving illegally in the opposite direction.

Parashuram said Nasir had missed the crossroad on the National Highway from where he had to turn right. “So to return to it, he took a U-turn towards Hubballi and in the process rammed into the minister’s escort vehicle accidentally.”

“We are still investigating every angle. But prima facie, it seems like this was an accident,” he told The News Minute.