Tiruchirapalli, May 23 (IANS) N. Mariyam Pichai, Tamil Nadu's minister for environment and pollution control and minorities welfare, died in a road accident near here Monday morning, officials said.
Pichai, 60, was travelling to Chennai, around 330 km from here, to be sworn in as the member of the state assembly later in the day.
According to state government officials, Pichai was sitting next to his driver in the car which hit a truck from behind while trying to overtake it around 7 a.m.
Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare N.R. Sivapathi, who was travelling behind the car, informed officials about the accident.
Officials told IANS that seven people were travelling in Pichai's car and all others suffered minor injuries.
Pichai defeated DMK's K.N. Nehru in the recently concluded assembly elections.
He is survived by his wife and three children.