Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Rahul Singh Lodhi has been booked by police after his car reportedly crashed into a motorbike and killed three people in Tikamgarh district on Monday. A case has been registered against Lodhi, who is the nephew of BJP veteran and former Union minister Uma Bharti, for causing death by negligence, reported NDTV.

“According to eyewitnesses, the SUV of MLA Rahul Singh Lodhi hit the bike killing two persons on the spot and seriously injuring another who was riding the motorcycle,” Tikamgarh Superintendent of Police Anurag Sujania told PTI. The injured person succumbed on his way to a hospital.

Sujania said the case was registered based on a statement by an eyewitness. “An FIR has been registered against Rahul Lodhi, who is an MLA from Khargapur constituency of Tikamgarh district, under Section 304 A (causing death by negligence), 279 (for rash driving), 337 (causing hurt by an act of endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code and Motor Vehicles Act,” he said, according to Hindustan Times.

It is not yet clear if Lodhi was inside the vehicle when the accident took place around 3 pm on Tikamgarh-Chhatarpur road near Papawani village, 15 km from the district headquarters. However, local residents alleged that Lodhi fled from the spot after the accident. They demanded that the legislator be booked.

Lodhi has denied that his sports utility vehicle was involved in the accident and claimed he was about 20 km away from the accident site at the time. “I was in Futer village in my constituency and my driver was coming to pick me up,” said the MLA. “My vehicle was passing from the [Tikamgarh-Chhatarpur] road at the time of accident.” Lodhi said the accident involved two auto rickshaws and the motorcycle. “My driver informed me about the accident and I alerted local police station,” he added.

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