PUNE, Aug. 8 -- A 35-year-old local Congress leader from Pimpri-Chinchwad was killed, and six others were injured after a speeding SUV rammed into the rear of a mini truck on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway's Connecting Link early on Friday, marking the first fatal accident on the newly opened stretch. The accident occurred around 1.20 am inside a tunnel on the 13-km Connecting Link (earlier known as Missing Link) between kilometre markers 11 and 12 near Khandala in Maval tehsil. The stretch was inaugurated on May 1 by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. According to Pune Rural Police, a Toyota Fortuner, allegedly driven by Amit Talaram Bhati, a resident of Wakad, was travelling at high speed when it crashed into the rear of a mini truck carrying vegetables. The impact caused both vehicles to overturn. Police alleged that the SUV driver was driving rashly and negligently in violation of traffic rules. The deceased, Tushar Vaman Bhumkar of Wakad, was seated beside the driver. Four other SUV occupants were injured, while the truck driver, Rambhau Mundbe, and his assistant, Kuldeep Pawar, also sustained injuries. All six injured were shifted to a nearby hospital in an MSRDC ambulance. Bhumkar was a local Congress leader in Pimpri-Chinchwad. His wife had recently contested the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation election. Shivaji Pawar, superintendent of police, Highway Safety Patrol (Pune), said, "Prima facie, it appears that while attempting to overtake another vehicle, the driver lost control of the SUV and rammed into the vegetable-laden tempo from behind." The accident was captured on CCTV footage, which shows the speeding SUV attempting to overtake another vehicle before crashing into the moving tempo after apparently misjudging the traffic ahead. Sachin Patil, senior police inspector of Lonavla city police, said, "Speeding appears to be the primary cause of the accident, though all aspects are being examined as part of the investigation. One person died, and several others were injured in the collision. We appeal to motorists to strictly adhere to speed limits and traffic regulations, particularly on the expressway, to prevent such tragedies." Based on a complaint filed by Kuldeep Pawar (31), a resident of Ausa in Latur district, Lonavla city police have registered a case against the SUV driver under Sections 106(1), 281, 125(a), 125(b) and 324(4)(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 184 and 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act. Police said both vehicles were extensively damaged in the crash. Traffic on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway was briefly disrupted before personnel from Lonavla city police and the Highway Safety Patrol cleared the wreckage and restored vehicular movement....