CM vows probe into alleged police lapses

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has come down heavily on Sriram Venkitaraman, the IAS officer who was involved in the drunken driving incident, which led to the death of young journalist K M Basheer. He also flayed the police for failing to follow the procedures while registering the case.
Venkitaraman’s drunken driving cannot be considered as an ordinary case. A person who had magisterial powers and well aware of the rules and laws of the land, has broken them. It adds to the seriousness of the issue, the chief minister said.
If at all the version that he was not drunk has to be believed, then there lies another issue of speeding, Vijayan said. A person who knows about the dangers of rash driving should not have driven so fast, he added.
“Though there is a claim that he was not drunk, it cannot be believed. Those who had come to the spot have made it clear that he was heavily drunk. It has also to be probed whether he has used any medicines to show that there was no alcohol content in his blood,” the chief minister said.
A special investigation team has been constituted to look into all such aspects, Vijayan said. If at all any complaint is raised that any high-ranking official stepped in to save Venkitaraman, it will also be probed. The probe team will investigate alleged police lapses as well, he said.
It has been alleged that police botched up while registering the FIR. They did not take the blood samples of the accused and allowed him to get admitted to a private hospital after he was referred to the medical college hospital.
“You should not to be under the impression that all IAS officers have come out to help Venkitaraman. There are officers who are not supporting such things. That was the reason why a suspension order was issued against Venkitaraman,” said Vijayan.
An impartial probe will be conducted and no one will be spared if they are found guilty of trying to influence the police, Vijayan added.