Thiruvananthapuram, The Keralam government on Wednesday transferred Kochi City Police Commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar and appointed R Nishanthini in his place amid mounting controversy over the police handling of a fatal road accident involving a 17-year-old boy, the son of an Additional District Judge.
The transfer of the city police chief follows a preliminary inquiry by senior police officers into the alleged lapses in the case. The move came a day after four police personnel attached to the Cheranalloor police station were suspended for alleged lapses in the investigation into the death of Jayabalakrishnan, a 55-year-old roadside eatery owner who was killed when a Mercedes-Benz allegedly driven by the teenager rammed into his scooter. Nishanthini, an IPS officer of the 2008 batch, has been transferred from her post as Inspector General of Police, South Zone, and appointed Inspector General of Police and Commissioner of Police, Kochi City, with immediate effect, according to a government order. P Prakash, an IPS officer of the 2004 batch who was serving as Inspector General of Police, State Crime Records Bureau, has been posted as Inspector General of Police, South Zone. The accident occurred in the early hours of October 25 at Cheranalloor in Kochi.
The incident has triggered protests by the victim’s family and raised questions over the handling of the case, particularly the initial decision to release the minor on station bail and allegations of attempts to suppress evidence. Jayabalakrishnan, who ran a roadside eatery near Chittoor, was returning home on his scooter after closing his shop when the Mercedes-Benz allegedly hit his vehicle from behind. The victim died in the accident.
