The crash on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway that killed Vinayak Mete, the president of the Shiv Sangram Party, on Sunday morning occurred after the driver of his SUV lost control of the vehicle while trying to overtake a container or dozed off at the wheel due to fatigue, suspect the police. Maratha leader Mete had left Beed between 10 pm and 11 pm on Saturday. The passenger side of the vehicle got crushed in the mishap.

As of Sunday evening, the Rasayni police were clueless about the truck involved in the fatal crash near the Bhatan tunnel on the E-way around 5 am. Mete’s driver Eknath Kadam told a few television channels that the truck driver overtook their Ford Endeavour causing the accident.