Thiruvananthapuram: IAS officer, Sriram Venkitaraman, has been sent to 14 days remand in the case of the death of senior journalist, K. A. Basheer, when the car which Sriram drove ram into Basheer’s motorcycle. The police say that Sriram was drunk and over speeding which led to the unfortunate accident.
Sriram’s co-passenger Wafa Firoz testified that it was Sriram who was behind the wheel and that he was in an inebriated condition. He is now charged with Section 279 (rash driving on a public way) and 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC.
The IAS officer is now charged with non bailable offence after he was found to be drunk while driving. He can apply for bail only after 30 days.
He is currently undergoing treatment in a private hospital at present and will be transferred to sub jail once he gets discharged from the hospital.
Wafa is also charged for encouraging harsh driving. The charges against her is bailable and she was later allowed bail. However, the Motor Vehicle Department has begun the procedure to cancel the license of both Sriram and Wafa.
The deceased, Basheer, was the Thiruvananthapuram bureau chief of ‘Siraj’ newspaper and was a familiar face in the media circles of the city. He is survived by his wife and two small children. The tragedy spell a gloom over the journalist fraternity in the state capital today.
