A journalist working with a Malayalam newspaper was killed after his bike was hit by a car allegedly driven by Sriram Venkataraman, an IAS officer from Kerala. The incident happened at midnight in Thiruvananthapuram. Several regional media outlets reported eyewitness claims that the IAS officer was completely drunk during the time of the accident.
According to eyewitnesses, Venkataraman was at the wheel at the time of the accident. He was accompanied by a lady passenger. At around 01.35 AM, the car hit the bike and skidded to the wall of a public office. The journalist, KM Basheer, who works with 'Siraj', died instantly after sustaining serious head injuries.
Shafeeq, an auto driver who was apparently present at the time of the accident, revealed that Venkataraman was drunk. "After the car hit the two-wheeler, a man came out from the driving seat. He was in a drunken state and his car was running at high speed," he said, according to the Indian Express.
It has been reported that the police did not subject Venkataraman or his friend to a medical examination. Instead, they booked a prepaid cab and sent the woman home. Venkataraman, who had some injuries on his hand, was later admitted to the general hospital. However, police officers did not insist on collecting the blood samples of the IAS officer even after doctors informed them that he was under the influence of alcohol.
It was on August 01 that Sriram Venkataraman got posted as the Director of Survey and Land Records. The accident has already created an uproar on social media. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports said the police plan to arrest the IAS officer.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala have condoled the death of the journalist.
