Kerala journalist killed after 'drunk' IAS officer's car rams his bike

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 03: A journalist from Kerala was killed when his motorcycle was hit by a car driven by an IAS officer here early Saturday, police said.

Survey Director Sreeram Venkitaraman was driving the car which rammed into K Muhammed Basheer's motorcycle, killing him on the spot. The incident happened around 1 am, police said.

K Muhammed Basheer, 35, was the Thiruvananthapuram bureau chief of Malayalam daily Siraj.

According to reports, both Sriram and his friend Wafa have reportedly told the police that she had been driving the car during the accident.

The blood samples of the official has also been taken, he said.

A woman was also in the car when the accident took place, police said.

Eyewitness told reporters that a man, in an inebriate state, was driving the car rashly.

"Legal formalities have to be followed. Law says you cannot compel someone to give samples.. we have to follow some legal formalities to take blood samples," said Sanjay Kumar Gurudin, Deputy Inspector General (Thiruvananthapuram-Range).

Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) has demanded a proper and truthful investigation in the case.

Gurudin has assured media personnel that the probe would be done scientifically.

A case has been registered under section IPC279 (rash driving on a public way) and 304A (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), police said.