Thiruvananthapuram | Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday assured the state Assembly that strong action would be taken against the accused in the Mini Cooper crash that killed three youngsters, seeking to allay the Opposition's concerns over the investigation.
Chennithala was responding to a submission by Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, who cited media reports alleging delays in registering the FIR, arresting the driver and conducting his medical examination.
Three youngsters aged around 21 - two women and a man - were killed when a speeding Mini Cooper, allegedly driven by a youth under the influence of alcohol, rammed into their scooter at Nedumbassery near Kochi in the early hours of Sunday.
Vijayan questioned why the accused, identified as Suhail, was not named in the FIR and why the police had not invoked more stringent provisions of law against him.
He questioned why the 19-year-old driver had been sent to a juvenile home, also known as a Borstal school, after being remanded to judicial custody.
Replying to Vijayan, Chennithala said the FIR was initially registered based on a statement given by a friend of the victims, who did not know the accused's name.
The minister said the accused driver's name was subsequently included in the remand report submitted to the court.
He said a medical examination had revealed a high level of alcohol in the accused's bloodstream, following which the police invoked Sections 281 (rash driving), 49 (abetment) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), in addition to Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the BNS and Section 185 (driving by a drunken person) of the Motor Vehicles Act.
Chennithala said the police had asked the Motor Vehicle Department to cancel the accused driver's licence.
On the decision to send Suhail and the three others who were in the car at the time of the incident to a juvenile home, the minister said the magisterial court had acted in accordance with prison rules, which mandate that those aged between 18 and 21 be sent to such facilities.
To curb drunken driving, which he said had become commonplace in the state, the minister said a special inspection drive was conducted from 7 pm on October 13 to 7 am on October 14. During the drive, 959 cases were registered for driving under the influence of intoxicating substances.
Chennithala reiterated in the House that stringent action would be taken against the accused and that the maximum possible punishment would be sought.
However, he objected to communal remarks posted on social media in connection with the incident, describing them as unacceptable.
Vijayan and Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan also condemned the communal remarks and supported the minister's stand.
Aluva MLA Anwar Sadath, who also spoke on the issue, said the incident should be treated as murder rather than a mere accident and called for the maximum possible punishment for the accused.
He demanded that the accused driver's licence be cancelled for life.
