Fatal Accident Caused By Drunk Driving: Kerala IAS Officer Sriram Venkitaraman, Wafa Firoz Ordered To Appear Before Court

A local court in Thiruvananthapuram has directed IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman and his female friend Wafa Firoz, who are the first and second accused respectively in a case of drunk driving incident that caused the death of journalist KM Basheer, to appear before it on September 16, The New Indian Express reported.

According to the police charge sheet, Basheer, the bureau chief of Malayalam daily Siraj who was travelling on his bike, was mowed down by a speeding car allegedly driven by Sriram under the influence of alcohol. The incident occurred on the wee hours of Aug 1, 2019. Wafa Firoz, the owner and co-driver, was charged with abetment to crime.

Soon after the accident, Sriram Venkitaraman, a 2013 batch officer was suspended from service in accordance with the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules 1969. However a panel headed by the then chief secretary Tom Jose recommended that the government reinstate him in service as the police had failed to submit a charge-sheet.

In this March this year, Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government reinstated Sriram Venkitaraman and appointed him as the Joint secretary in the health department.

Asked about the reinstatement of the controversial officer, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had claimed that the state government will not back anyone who had done any wrong even if he was government officer.

Wafa, who was the owner of the vehicle, had claimed that it was Sriram Venkitaraman who drove the car. But Sriram Venkitaraman has been maintaining that Wafa was driving the car at the time of the accident.

Within weeks of the accident, Wafa’s husband Firoz was served a divorce notice by her husband Firoz K. In a divorce notice was sent to the president of the Jama'ath committee in Navayikkulam (Wafa's hometown), Firoz listed Wafa not following Islamic lifestyle as the main reason for seeking divorce notice.

Firoz had also levelled many serious allegations against Wafa including her aborting a child without his knowledge and following a lifestyle that is against their faith. He has also mentioned that Wafa had refused to divulge details of the events that happened on the night of the accident which killed KM Basheer