The Kerala police on Sunday changed the officer in charge of the probe of the case involving Sriram Venkitaraman IAS, which led to the death of journalist KM Basheer. Sheen Tharayil, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) of the narcotics cell has been replaced by Superintendent of Police (SP) A Shanavas.
According to reports, the change was made after the report submitted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Sheen Tharayil was criticised by the Kerala High Court for the delay in taking the blood samples of the accused IAS officer.
Ever since the incident took place during the early hours of August 3, the police have been pulled up for various lapses. They were also criticised for the way they handled the case.
The SIT, which is probing the case, is looking to tighten the investigation and as per a report by Mathrubhumi. The team has asked the KIMS hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where Sriram was treated for all medical documents, including the case sheet, after the casualty doctors in the hospital claimed that the IAS officer had suffered minor injuries following the accident.
Based on close examination of the scan reports, lab reports and other medical reports with the help of medical experts, the probe team is reportedly looking at forming a comprehensive investigation report.
The accident took place around 1 am on August 3 when the car in which Sriram Venkitaraman was travelling along with his friend rammed into the bike of journalist KM Basheer on Museum road in the state capital, immediately killing the journalist. Basheer was the Thiruvananthapuram Bureau Chief of the Siraj newspaper.