Thiruvananthapuram: Cops delayed Sriram Venkitaraman mishap FIR

Thiruvananthapuram: CCTV visuals prove that police were deliberately delaying the registration of the FIR in the road accident that killed journalist K. M. Basheer.

The footage from the public office compound shows the accident happened at 01:01:42 a.m. The police reached the venue at 01:02:41 a.m that is within 59 minutes.

However, the FIR was registered only at 7.17 a.m.. after six hours, allegedly giving Wafa Firoz and Sriram Venkitaraman, riders of the car that crashed on him, enough time to consultations and find ways and means to destroy evidence and weaken the case.

Investigators are also probing into video footage that showed Mr Venkitaraman coming out of the Civil Service Officers Institute situated opposite to the Golf Club a few minutes before the accident. They are also verifying whether the accused had consumed alcohol on unlicensed premises and thinking of invoking Section 205 of the Motor Vehicle Act dealing with the presumption of unfitness to drive.

The Section says: In any proceeding for an offence punishable under Section 185 if it is proved that the accused when requested by a police officer at any time so to do, had refused, omitted or failed to consent to the taking of or providing a specimen of his breath for a breath test or a specimen of his blood for a laboratory test, his refusal, omission or failure may, unless reasonable cause therefor is shown, be presumed to be a circumstance supporting any evidence given on behalf of the prosecution, or rebutting any evidence given on behalf of the defence, with respect to his condition at that time.

Eyewitnesses had claimed that the car was speeding when the accident occurred near Museum police station and that a male was at the wheel.

Mr Venkitaraman was also under the influence of alcohol, as per an eyewitness account. However, this could not be confirmed as there was a delay in collecting the IAS officer's blood samples