Thrissur: Human rights activists here have sought the intervention of Governor P. Sathasivam for an inquiry by an independent agency into the alleged lapses on the part of the police in connection with the death of a 36-year-old woman and her one-and-a-half-year old daughter in a road accident on NH 47 at Vettikkal in Mannuthy in August 2015. The deceased woman and the child were travelling on a bike which her husband Rasheed Ali, a native of Pazhayannur, was riding. The accident occurred near a spot on the road where the highway police was conducting a vehicle check.
In a memorandum to the governor, Thrissur-based human rights organisation ‘Nerkazhcha’ has asked for an inquiry by an officer of the rank of inspector-general associated with the State Human Rights Commission. Both the family of the victims and ‘Nerkazhcha’ opposed SHRC’s directive in October last asking the police to investigate the lapses on the part of the police team which conducted the vehicle check allegedly by violating norms.
The highway police team, which was conducting the inspection of vehicles on the NH, had faced the wrath of public and activists who alleged that the cops had overlooked the internal circular issued from state police headquarters on June 2, 2015 that put down stringent measures to be followed by the cops while conducting vehicle inspection.
“After filing the complaint with the SHRC, we expected it to hear us out during the sittings held in Thrissur and decide on the agency for inquiry. But, the commission instead asked for a police inquiry. The police starting from the very day of the incident had been putting the blame on Rasheed Ali alleging that he was riding the bike without a helmet and proper documents for the vehicle and his attempt to escape the vehicle check led to the accident,” P.B. Sateesh of Nerkazcha said.
He said that his organization had an eyewitness’ account that proved that the claims of the police were baseless and Rasheed Ali was indeed wearing a helmet. The police chose a place close to a curve on the road violating the standing orders and the accident occurred when Rashid Ali turned his bike to avoid hitting a truck which suddenly applied brake seeing the vehicle check. All such matter could be presented if there was a probe done by any other agency or the police team headed by an IG associated with the commission, he noted.
