Karthikeyan of Amudhurmedu village, a real estate businessman, was a PMK youth wing member and had been the president of Karunakarachery village panchayat.

He was on the way to buy things for his father’s rituals, who had died recently, when his bike collided head on with a bus on Pattabiram-Poonamallee High Road. Karthikeyan died before he could be taken to a nearby private hospital, while the driver fled the spot.

His kin and neighbours became furious and set the bus on fire. Personnel from Avadi fire station personnel tried to put out the fire, but in vain. Poonamallee traffic investigation police registered a case and Pattabiram police registered a separate case for burning the bus. The bus driver, Ravi, reportedly surrendered before the Poonamallee court on Tuesday evening.