Kerala journo's death: Doctors refute police charge

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government Medical Officer's Association (KGMOA) on Monday refuted the police charge in the accident case in which journalist K.M.Basheer was killed after being hit by a car driven by IAS officer Sreeram Venkitaraman here early this month.

The KGMOA office bearers have written to the Chief Minister and the state Police Chief alleging that the claim made by the Kerala Police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) in its interim report filed in court that the medical officer on duty did not take Venkitaraman's blood sample, despite being told was wrong.

The KGMOA said the police neither verbally told the medical officer on duty to do so nor was there any written request in this regard.

Incidentally the doctor, who examined the IAS officer, did mention in the outpatient ticket register that he was smelling of alcohol.

This new development comes a day after the management of Siraj newspaper, where Basheer worked, pointed out glaring factual errors in the interim report filed by the SIT.

Meanwhile on Monday, officials at Volkswagon, the manufacturer of the car which hit Basheer, examined its crash data recorder to assess the speed of the vehicle when it met with the accident.

The State Motor Vehicle Department on Monday also cancelled Venkitaraman's driving licence.

Basheer, the Thiruvananthapuram bureau chief of Siraj, was killed after being hit by Venkitaraman's speeding car early this month. The IAS officer was returning from a late-night party with his friend Waha Firoz, who owns the car.

It is alleged that the police after coming to know that the accused was an IAS officer, delayed even the mandatory medical tests in case of a road accident.