Parassala SHO runs over pedestrian at Kilimanoor, fled spot without stopping car

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a shocking incident, a police officer sworn to uphold the law has apparently neglected it, resulting in the death of a man in Thiruvanantha-puram. The police have confirmed that Parassala station house officer (SHO) P Anilkumar was behind the wheel of the car that fatally struck a 59-year-old pedestrian, Rajan, at Kilimanoor on September 7 and fled without stopping. Though the incident was initially described as a hit-and-run by an unidentified vehicle, the police probe found that the car belonged to Anilkumar. As per the FIR, the vehicle was speeding and driven carelessly. In the wake of the findings, the Thiruvananthapuram Rural Police have submitted a report to the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), recommending strict action, including suspension, against the officer. The DIG has has forwarded the report to South Zone IG Shyam Sundar for a final decision. Though I have not read the report yet, the matter is being taken very seriously. Strict action will follow based on the gravity of the issue. The order is likely to be issued by Monday or Tuesday, Shyam Sundar said. Rajan, a daily wage worker, was found injured by the roadside near the Kilimanoor police station on the state highway on September 7 early morning. Though local residents took him to a hospital, he was declared brought dead. Rajan reportedly lay on the road for nearly an hour after the accident. The police are yet to register a case against Anilkumar. The initial FIR registered against an unidentified person has sections under BNS sections 281 (driving in a rash or negligent way) and 106(1) (causing death by rash and negligent driving and failing to report accident) and sections 134 (A) and 134 (B) under Motor Vehicle Act. Effort on to obtain visuals from near accident site The car involved in the accident has been taken into custody by Kilimanoor police. The car was traced through CCTV footage. Anilkumar had reportedly travelled to Bengaluru as part of an investigation and has been unreachable since. According to Thiruvananthapuram Rural SP K S Sudarsan, multiple attempts to contact him have failed. He has not responded. We have not been able to reach him so far, the SP said. There are indications that he may return to the state on Monday for questioning. Meanwhile, the investigation team, supervised by Attingal DySP Manjulal, said: The CCTV footage was found from several kilometres away from the accident spot. We are in an effort to obtain clear visuals from near the accident spot. Rajan is survived by his wife Shailaja and children Anu, Anju, and Anjana.