A goods vehicle allegedly hit a car in which state forest minister Rajib Banerjee was travelling at the EM Bypass-Rashbehari Avenue connector crossing in Kasba on Sunday afternoon.

Banerjee escaped unhurt but the car, the minister’s official vehicle, got dented.

Police said Banerjee’s vehicle was plying along the Rashbehari Avenue connector around 2.20pm when a Tata 407, loaded with stone chips, hit the vehicle on the right side while trying to overtake it.

As the goods vehicle tried to flee, the minister’s aides alerted the police about the accident.

The police intercepted the vehicle not far from the spot and arrested the driver, Vinod Mishra, 35.

The police have started a suo motu case and the driver has been charged with rash and negligent driving and mischief.

According to police records, a considerable number of fatal road accidents in Calcutta in 2019 involved goods vehicles.

Of the 267 people who lost their lives in road accidents, at least 64 died because of rash and negligent driving of goods vehicles.

“After buses, goods vehicles cause the maximum number of accidents in the city. We have been carrying out awareness campaigns to teach goods vehicle drivers the road rules,” said a senior officer of the traffic department.