IAS officer arrested for alleged drunken driving causing death of a journalist, granted bail
Thiruvananthapuram: A Kerala court on Tuesday granted bail to suspended IPS officer Sriram Vekitaraman, who was arrested for alleged drunken driving that caused the death of a journalist here.
Judicial First Class Magistrate Aneesa A granted bail after perusing the chemical examination report of Venkitaraman's blood samples, which was found negative for alcohol content and the case diary of the police.
"Bail application allowed", the judge said, accepting the defence argument that there was no alcohol content in the blood sample of the accused.
Venkitaraman's blood sample was taken nine hours after the mishap after he initially refused to provide it and after getting himself admitted in a private hospital.
The IAS officer was arrested on August 3, hours after the luxury car driven by him in an alleged inebriated condition while returning from a private party, hit journalist, K Muhammed Basheer, killing him on the spot.
He was later remanded to 14 days judicial custody. The government had on Monday suspended the 33-year-old officer, who was serving as the Survey Director.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) had also been constituted to probe the case.
35-year-old Basheer, Thiruvananthapuram Bureau Chief of Malayalam daily "Siraj", was on his home from work when the mishap occurred at around one am on Saturday.
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7 held in election-related violence in Assam: Police
Guwahati, Apr 9 (PTI) Seven people were held in connection with election-related violence at two places in Assam, officials said on Thursday.
Besides, minor clashes also erupted at several polling booths after voting began in the morning, with people suffering minor injuries, they said.
Inspector General of Police (Law and Order), Akhilesh Kumar Singh, told PTI that violence took place in Tamulpur and Sivasagar on Wednesday night, hours before polling began for the assembly elections at 7 am.
"We got reports of a clash between two groups at Tamulpur last night. Police reached the spot immediately and tried to control the crowd. When they did not listen, a few rounds were fired in the air to disperse the mob," he said, adding that four people were arrested from the site.
In another incident, two to three members of a political party were attacked in Sivasagar, the IG said.
"We have detained three persons there. The investigation is going on," he said.
Akhil Gogoi, who is seeking re-election from the Sibsagar seat, alleged that BJP nominee Kushal Dowari was behind the incident.
In a series of social media posts, Gogoi claimed two people were injured, and their vehicles were also damaged in the attack.
Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Chief Executive Member Hagrama Mohilary said a detailed enquiry will reveal the cause of the clash in Tamulpur.
"The situation is normal now. We are monitoring it, and there is enough security presence to avoid any untoward incident," he said.
Polling is underway for the 126-member assembly to decide the electoral fate of 722 candidates. It will continue till 5 pm, with May 4 scheduled for the counting of votes.
A number of minor clashes have erupted at several polling stations in Sribhumi, Golaghat and Nagaon districts.
"Most of the clashes took place due to heavy rush, with people fighting over breaking the queue," an official said.
At some polling booths in places like Patharkandi, Merapani and Raha, supporters of ruling and opposition parties clashed, he said.
"However, police were already present in those areas, and the situations were handled instantly. The polling is going on uninterrupted," he added.
The BJP-led NDA is seeking a third consecutive term in power in these elections, while the Congress is looking to reclaim the state it lost a decade ago.
