Ten days after the death of KM Basheer, a journalist who was killed when a car driven by IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman hit his bike on August 3, his wife Jaseela has been promised a job by the Kerala government. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Basheer’s wife Jaseela will be offered a job at the Malayalam University in Tirur, Malappuram district, based on her education qualifications. In addition to the job, the state government has decided to give Rs 4 lakh as financial aid to Basheer’s family.
The announcement comes a day after the Kerala High Court refused to stay the bail granted to Sriram, who is under suspension currently, for a second time. The verdict on Tuesday was pronounced after the Kerala government moved a petition seeking to cancel the bail granted to the IAS officer by a lower court.
While criticising the police for handling the case, including collecting evidence in an efficient manner, the court observed that a mere oral testimony that Sriram was under the influence of alcohol was not sufficient. While the police report stated that Sriram was intoxicated at the time of driving, the laboratory tests revealed otherwise.
The police came under fire for the procedural lapse, including failing to take the blood sample from Sriram in a timely manner. Additionally, Sriram was allowed to remain at KIMS private hospital for almost seven hours, without any police personnel to monitor him.
Although Sriram showed signs of a concussion, the doctors at the Government Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram said that he is ready to be discharged. He was discharged on Tuesday.
KM Basheer was the Thiruvananthapuram bureau chief of Siraj newspaper. He is survived by Jaseela and his two children.
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