THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Six months after the accident in which journalist KM Basheer was killed when he was hit by a speeding car driven by IAS officer Sriram Venkataraman, allegedly in an inebriated state, the Kerala Police on Saturday submitted the chargesheet before the Court, with the IAS officer as the first accused.
The chargesheet clearly states that it's a case of drunken driving. Wafa Firoz, the owner and co-driver, has been named as the second accused and charged with abetment of the crime.
Venkataraman is currently under suspension. Last week, a chief secretary led panel had recommended that the government reinstate him in service as the police had failed to submit a chargesheet till now. However chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had rejected the recommendation and ordered that the suspension be extended.
On Saturday, the chargesheet was filed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court III, Thiruvananthapuram. As per initial information, the 66-page chargesheet covers 84 documents and mentioned 100 witnesses. Cases have been charged under section 304, 201 and MV Act section 184, 185 and 188.
It was after midnight on August 3, 2019 that journalist KM Basheer, bureau chief of Malayalam daily Siraj, was killed in a road accident in the state capital. His motorcycle was knocked down by a car, allegedly driven by the IAS officer.