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    Home / News / India News / IAS officer arrested after drunk driving spree kills journalist
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    IAS officer arrested after drunk driving spree kills journalist

    IAS officer arrested after drunk driving spree kills journalist

    By Siddhant Pandey
    Aug 04, 2019
    12:32 am

    What's the story

    In a tragic incident, a senior journalist was killed in a road accident on Saturday morning.

    KM Basheer (35) died on the spot as an IAS officer's car rammed into his bike in Thiruvananthapuram.

    Initially, there were conflicting statements as to whether or not the IAS officer, Sriram Venkitaraman, was driving the vehicle. He has now been arrested.

    Here are more details.

    Details

    Journalist was driving home when overspeeding car hit

    Reportedly, Basheer was returning home at 1 am on Saturday.

    CCTV footage from the Public Office complex, which is near the accident site, revealed that an overspeeding car collided with Basheer's bike, dragging him and the bike along the road, before crushing him against the complex wall.

    An NRI businesswoman named Waha Firoze, who owns the car, was inside the car along with Venkitaraman.

    Information

    Basheer was rushed to a hospital, but couldn't be saved

    Since the accident occurred pretty close to the Museum police station, the police managed to reach the spot on time and rushed Basheer to the nearby Government Medical College Hospital, The Hindu reported. However, he could not be saved.

    Investigation

    Eye witnesses claimed IAS was driving; passengers claimed otherwise

    Both Venkitaraman (the Survey and Land Records Director) and Firoze told the police that the latter was driving the car at the time of the incident.

    However, two auto-rickshaw drivers, Shafeeq and Manikuttan, told reporters that they witnessed the IAS officer stepping out of the vehicle from the driver's side and was visibly drunk.

    Local police also smelled alcohol on Venkitaraman, Deccan Herald reported.

    Information

    No immediate medical tests; Firoze sent home from crime scene

    Reportedly, the police failed to conduct medical tests on the passengers immediately after the accident. Venkitaraman refused to undergo tests while Firoze was sent home in a taxi. The bureaucrat was referred to the Government Medical College Hospital, but he chose a private hospital instead.

    Arrest

    Venkitaraman booked for rash driving, culpable homicide

    Eventually, the police investigation revealed that Venkitaraman, in fact, was in the driver's seat and was arrested.

    He has been booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 279 (Rash driving or riding on a public way) and 304 (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

    The Thiruvananthapuram police are also facing backlash for not conducting Venkitaraman's blood test and letting Firoze leave.

    Information

    Basheer survived by wife, two daughters

    Basheer was the bureau chief of the Malayalam newspaper 'Siraj'. His body will be brought to the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club for the public to pay their respects and then taken to his hometown in Thirur, Malappuram. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

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