KOCHI: The Kerala government has transferred Kochi city police commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar and suspended four police personnel following alleged lapses in the investigation into the Cheranallur accident in which a 55-year-old scooter rider was killed by a Mercedes-Benz allegedly driven by the 17-year-old son of an additional district judge.R Nishanthini will replace Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar as Kochi city police commissioner, while P Prakash has been appointed inspector general of police, South Region.Prakash will also continue to hold charge of the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB). A government order announcing the transfers was issued following directions from the home minister.The suspended personnel are station house officer and sub-inspector Viswajith V S, circle inspector Syam Kumar K S, grade assistant sub-inspector Manoj K T and senior civil police officer Arun Joshy. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala announced the suspensions in the assembly on Tuesday, citing serious lapses in the handling of the case.The action comes amid mounting scrutiny of the police investigation, particularly the initial registration of the case under provisions relating to death caused by negligence and the subsequent addition of a culpable homicide charge after protests by the victim’s family.
Case altered after evidence of overspeeding
Jayabalakrishnan, a native of Manjali who ran a roadside eatery, was reportedly returning home when the accident occurred around 2.20 am. The car allegedly rammed into his scooter from behind on Container Road near Maraparambu in Cheranallur.The victim was rushed to hospital but later died. The Mercedes-Benz involved in the accident is registered in the name of the teenager’s father, an additional district judge.Police initially registered a case under provisions relating to death caused by negligence, based on the initial First Information Statement (FIS). However, the case was subsequently altered to Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with culpable homicide, after investigators said evidence indicated that the car was being driven at excessive speed.The teenager was subsequently produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, which granted him bail. Police have since approached the court seeking cancellation of the bail, according to ADGP (law and order) P Vijayan.The preliminary police report indicated that the teenager was not under the influence of alcohol. His blood samples were collected for further analysis.
Home minister reprimands DGP; Crime Branch collects evidence
Chennithala said he had personally reprimanded the director general of police after learning that the initial FIR did not include the culpable homicide charge. A team led by Vijayan visited the accident site and the victim’s family on Tuesday as part of a detailed inquiry into the alleged lapses.The District Crime Branch conducted an evidence-collection operation late on Tuesday night as the investigation continued. The probe has been transferred to the Crime Branch amid questions over the initial handling of the case.The inquiry team, which included an assistant inspector general and circle inspectors, also examined CCTV footage to verify allegations against personnel at Cheranallur police station.Vijayan held discussions with senior Kochi city police officers, including the commissioner, for nearly two hours on Tuesday. He also visited the accident site on Container Road and spoke briefly to a watchman who was present there.The police have also invoked relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act concerning offences involving a juvenile driver. These provisions allow action against the guardian or registered owner of a vehicle when a juvenile is found to have committed an offence covered by the law.In this case, the teenager’s father is also the registered owner of the car. Mahesh Kumar said the police were following the prescribed procedures to take further action, including those applicable because the registered owner is a judge.Asked whether the judge could be arrested, Vijayan said several legal formalities would have to be completed, including obtaining the requisite permission from the judiciary.
Family demands action against judge, police personnel
Jayabalakrishnan’s family has demanded the arrest and suspension of the judge, along with action against police personnel allegedly responsible for lapses in the investigation.His daughter, Bhadrakeerthi, said senior police officials, including the ADGP, had visited their residence and recorded statements from family members.She said the family had learnt that four police personnel had been suspended but was awaiting details of the reasons cited in the order.The family staged a protest at Cheranallur police station on Monday night, demanding action. The protest was called off after Chennithala spoke to them, but the family had warned that it would resume the agitation if its demands were not met by 4 pm on Tuesday.BJP and CPI(M) workers also staged protests outside the police station on Tuesday, demanding action against the teenager’s father.Vijayan said the family’s genuine demands would be given priority. Both he and Chennithala maintained that the law would take its course irrespective of the persons involved.The investigation is continuing, with the Crime Branch collecting evidence and police examining the circumstances of the accident and the handling of the case.
