KOTTAYAM: The police on Monday recorded the arrest of K M Mani Jr, son of Kerala Congress (M) chairman Jose K Mani MP, in the death of two youths in an accident involving his car in Kottayam.
Mathew John alias Jiss, 35, and his younger brother Jins John, 30, died after their scooter collided with Mani Jr’s car near Manimala on Sunday.
As per official sources, Mani Jr was initially booked under IPC section 279 for rash and negligent driving. However, the charges were later escalated to IPC 304 following the deaths. He has been released on station bail.
The accident took place on the Muvattupuzha-Punalur road near Manimala around 6.30pm on Sunday. According to eyewitnesses, the overspeeding of the Innova driven by Mani Jr led to the accident.
Mani Jr lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a curve and it rotated several times before its rear portion hit the scooter coming from the opposite side. The siblings were seriously injured in the impact of the accident and were rushed to the Kottayam Government Medical College Hospital. However, they succumbed to their injuries by 1am.
Incidentally, the accident occurred on the fourth death anniversary day of his grandfather and KC(M) founder leader K M Mani. Mani Jr was coming back to Pala after visiting his sister’s house at Karikkattoor near Manimala.
Meanwhile, there were allegations that police let Mani Jr go home without registering a case soon after the accident. The officers did not even disclose the details of the driver to the media initially. Mani Jr’s arrest was recorded only after he appeared before the Manimala police station on Monday morning following the death of the youths. Meanwhile, a verification of the car’s registration documents suggested that the vehicle was owned by a Pala native named Xavier Mathew.