New Delhi: Salman Khan's former bodyguard, Ravindra Patil, who had become a prime witness in the hit-and-run case against the Bollywood star died of tuberculosis at a city hospital on Wednesday.
"Patil (38), who was admitted at the hospital in August this year, died due to Bilateral Tuberculosis," a doctor administering treatment to him was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.
Patil was in the vehicle driven by Salman Khan in the early hours of September 28, 2002, when the vehicle ran over people sleeping on the pavement in suburban Bandra killing one pavement dweller and injuring four.
He told the police that he had advised Salman against driving rash before the vehicle met with an accident while taking a sharp turn.
On March 16, Patil reiterated his statement that Salman was driving the car himself and was drunk.
Patil said this during the cross-examination and also emphasised that he had advised Salman not to drive the car as he was under the influence of liquor.
Patil was abandoned by his family for his excessive drinking habit and disappeared during the trial allegedly due to alleged pressure from Salman's family members. The court issued summons to him to appear and later issued an arrest warrant when he did not. The disappearance cost Patil his police job.
He was traced to Panchgani in 2006 and deposed before the court. During cross examination, he told the court that he was unsure if Salman was drunk at the time of accident but maintained that the actor was at the wheel and that he had advised the him to drive safely.
(With inputs from PTI)
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