The Kerala police have said violinist Balabhaskar was driving the car when it met with an accident in September, claiming his life. The police statement comes in the backdrop of contradictory statements by Balabhaskar's wife and his driver over who was behind the wheel.
In October, the musician’s driver Arjun had told the Kerala police that it was Balabhaskar who drove the car at the time of the accident.
However, a few weeks back, Balabhaskar's wife Lakshmi contradicted Arjun's statement. She had told the police that it was driver Arjun, and not her husband, who was behind the wheel. Lakshmi said that Balabhaskar never used to drive the vehicle during long-distance journeys and added that she was sitting in the front seat with their child Thejaswini on her lap.
To put the case to rest, Deputy Superintendent (Attingal) P Anil Kumar stated that witnesses had said that Balabhaskar was driving the car when the accident took place.
According to the reports from The Hindu, he said, "A passing motorist from Kollam was among the first to come to the rescue of the passengers. The driver of a KSRTC bus from Ponnani depot helped him along with an 18-year-old student who lived nearby. The police located them with the help of the mobile phone numbers provided by a local journalist. At least five other persons who helped extricate the injured from the vehicle also gave their statements to the police."
He went on to add that the witnesses mentioned that Balabhaskar was driving the car and his wife Lakshmi along with their daughter was seated beside him while Arjun was in the back seat.
To add more strength to the statement of the witnesses, Anil Kumar said forensic experts who examined the accident spot have backed the witness' version.
The incident took place on the national highway at Pallipuram on September 25 when the family was returning home after visiting a temple in Thrissur. The kid died soon after the accident and Balabhaskar succumbed to injuries on October 1.