THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the war of words and legal battle continue over the road rage controversy involving KSRTC driver H L Yedu and Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran, the police have reported that the driver was found using his mobile phone for about an hour while driving the bus, which violates the Motor Vehicle Act.
Police sources said Yedu spoke over his mobile phone for about an hour multiple times during the Thrissur-Thiruvananthapuram journey on the day of the incident.
On examination of the call detail record, it was found that at one point he spoke for about 35 minutes at a stretch, the source added. “The bus did not have such a long break. That means he was using the phone while driving,” said the source, adding that the police have intimated the KSRTC officials about their finding.
Reacting to the police claim, Yedu said: “It’s ridiculous to say that I was on the phone for an hour. Surely, they will come up with new allegations and I will face them legally.” Yedu said he did not remember the precise time he had spent talking over phone. He said he might have used the phone to receive a call from his elderly mother.
Meanwhile, the Cantonment police will not be recording the statements of the mayor, her MLA-husband K M Sachin Dev and three others, against whom a case was registered following a court directive based on a lawyer’s petition.
Police sources said detailed statements of all stakeholders have already been recorded during the probe on the complaint filed by the mayor against Yedu. Apart from that, the police have also identified some passengers of the bus, and onlookers on the street, who had witnessed the whole incident.
Court to hear driver Yedu’s plea today
“There were about 10 people in the bus when the incident happened at Palayam. We have recorded statements of some of them,” said an officer.
The police said they checking whether the driver was involved in the disappearance of the memory card containing the visuals from the CCTV cameras in the bus. They said the driver had mentioned the CCTV cameras three days after the incident. “It is suspicious that he also gave contradictory statements on whether he had gone to the bus to check the CCTV visuals,” said an officer.
Yedu also brushed aside the police charge about the memory card being missing, saying he badly wanted the visuals to prove his points and alleged that the cops were not probing the case sincerely.
Meanwhile, a Judicial First Class Magistrate court (JFMC) in Thiruvananthapuram will hear Yedu’s petition seeking the registration of a case against the mayor and others for obstructing him while on duty, on Monday.
The Cantonment police on Saturday registered a case against the mayor, her husband and 3 others on a directive issued by a JFMC court while considering a petition filed by High Court lawyer Baiju Noel Rosario. Rosario told TNIE that he had filed the petition on April 30 on behalf of the public. “I am not connected to Yedu. I filed a complaint with the court owing to the inconvenience caused by the accused to the public,” he said.
According to him, multiple FIRs cannot be registered on a single incident. “It is to be seen whether the court will take note of the aspect that the mayor and others obstructed the driver during his duty while considering the petition of Yadu. So, if the court gives a directive to register a case, then they could be booked for obstructing the driver,” he said.
