Sriram Venkitaraman, the young IAS officer who was suspended after a road accident that claimed the life of a journalist in Thiruvananthapuram, said he was neither drunk nor in the driving seat when the car rammed K.M. Basheer's motorcycle. The former survey director also requested the chief secretary to reinstate him in service.
Basheer died on the way home after midnight on August 3 when his motorcycle was knocked down by a car belonging to Venkitaraman's friend, Wafa Firoz. Some eyewitnesses said that Venkitaraman was behind the wheel and drunk. The 2013 batch officer was suspended in accordance with the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules 1969.
His seven-page explanatory note will be examined by the chief secretary, home secretary and administrative reforms secretary before deciding on the disciplinary moves. They are likely to extend the suspension as Venkitaraman is facing criminal proceedings. He may be asked to appear before the panel of top officers.
He said that the car was driven by Wafa and what happened was an accident. He sought to refute eyewitness accounts that he was drunk, citing a medical report which failed to detect alcohol in his blood.
Venkitaraman was going towards Palayam after partying at an apartment at Kowdiar. The police who reached the accident spot let Wafa go home. They took the IAS officer to the general hospital but did not ask for a blood test. Still the doctor who examined Venkitaraman noted a smell of alcohol.
Though doctors at the general hospital referred Venkitaraman to the medical college hospital, the police let him proceed to a private hospital of his choice, giving him enough time to delay a blood test that would have proved the presence of any alcohol.
The police sought a blood test only about 10am after a public outcry. The analysis at the Chemical Examination Lab failed to find traces of alcohol in Venkitaraman's blood.
The police also erred in filing a first information report. Though the crime occurred at 12:55am, an FIR was registered only at 7:17am. The crime branch has taken over the investigation which is still slow-paced. The investigation team is waiting for various reports to proceed with the case.