THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Human Rights Commission(SHRC) has directed the police to conduct an investigation into the incident in which a speeding car knocked down a woman and her two-year-old child at Sreekariyam here, besides steps to seize the offending vehicle. The rights panel while seeking a report from M R Ajithkumar, City Police Commissioner, ordered him to submit the report within three weeks.The Kazhakoottam police will record the statement of the woman soon based on the commissioner’s orders. They will also record the statement of the driver.
It has been alleged that the local police failed to act on the complaint lodged by the accident victim. Justice Antony Dominic, chairman, SHRC, said in a statement the panel will consider the case after receiving the report. Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran has urged the police to initiate stringent action against Saji Mathew who drove the car. After visiting the residence of the victims, Kadakampally said the driver’s attitude was shocking. “Saji Mathew has been taken into custody by the Kazhakoottam police for recording his statements. I have ordered the assistant commissioner, Cybercity, to take stringent action,” he said.
Earlier, the rights panel had registered a suo motu case based on reports. The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has also intervened in the matter and ordered an investigation. According to the reports, a white car bearing registration number KL-24 T 0132, driven by Saji Mathew, an NRI hailing from Kottarakkara, had hit the woman and her child at Gandhinagar at Sreekariyam on December 28. The woman was injured in the leg while the child suffered serious injuries to her face. The driver of the car initially tried to flee the scene.
However, some youths intervened and forced the driver to take the injured to hospital. There are reports that one of the car’s occupants—a woman —told the driver to ensure that bloodstain didn’t soil the seats.
Following this, the occupants of the car dumped the victims mid-way at Chavadimukku. Though the victims complained to the police, the latter did not take action. Following this, the woman’s husband made a Facebook post narrating his wife’s ordeal. This went viral prompting the government to intervene. The car is registered in the name of Saji Mathew’s wife.