Over a month after the tragic road accident that claimed the lives of popular violinist Balabhaskar and his two-year-old Tejasvini Bala, the Kerala police have recorded his wife Lakshmi’s statement. In her statement to Attingal DYSP Anilkumar on Monday, Lakshmi said that Arjun was behind the wheel at the time of the accident. This, however, contradicts the earlier statement given by Arjun, the other survivor in the accident, who had claimed that the car was being driven by Balabhaskar when the vehicle rammed into a tree.
Speaking to TNM, Anilkumar said, “Lakshmi’s statement contradicts what Arjun had said earlier. She said that Balabhaskar was lying down in the rear seat while she and daughter Tejasvini had occupied the front passenger seat and Arjun was behind the wheel. Arjun, in his statement to the police, had said that after a pitstop in Kollam, Balabhaskar had taken the wheel and he (Arjun) was seated at the back while Lakshmi and daughter were in the passenger seat in front. We are still investigating the case. Even the statements from the bystanders, who witnessed the accident, are conflicting. We will conduct some scientific tests to understand what exactly happened.”
According to reports, Arjun had stated that he had driven the car from Thrissur to Kollam after which they stopped at a juice shop for a break. Following this, he said, Balabhaskar had taken the wheel. However, Lakshmi contradicted his statement, saying that her husband never took the wheel during such long drives.
Lakshmi was discharged from the Ananthapuri Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, where she was admitted to intensive care unit in critical condition following the accident on September 25. Arjun had suffered multiple fractures in his leg but his condition had stabilised relatively sooner.
The family of three, which included Balabhaskar, Lakshmi and their two-year-old Tejasvini, were travelling from Thrissur to Thiruvananthapuram by road when their car crashed into a tree. The accident took place on September 25 at Pallipuram, near Thiruvananthapuram.
While their daughter Tejasvini passed away on the spot, Balabhaskar, Lakshmi and Arjun, who was driving the car, were admitted to the private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
Balabhaskar underwent surgeries in Ananthapuri after suffering multiple organ failure, head and spine injuries, multiple fractures on the leg and a dislocated neck. He passed away following a cardiac arrest on October 2, after a seven-day battle for life. His mortal remains were kept at his alma mater, the University College, for fans and friends to pay their last respects and was later cremated with State Honours in Thiruvananthapuram.