K M Basheer death case: Eyewitness turns hostile during trial against Sriram Venkitaraman

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An eyewitness who had earlier given a confidential statement against IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman in the case related to the death of journalist K.M. Basheer turned hostile during the trial on Tuesday. Shafeeq, an autorickshaw driver and the third prosecution witness, changed his statement while testifying before the Fourth Additional Sessions Court in Thiruvananthapuram.

In his earlier confidential statements to the police and the magistrate, Shafeeq had said he saw the car, allegedly driven at high speed, hit Basheer's motorcycle. He had also identified Sriram Venkitaraman, who was sporting a beard at the time, as the person behind the wheel. However, during the trial, he retracted his earlier statement and testified in favour of the accused.

Meanwhile, the fourth prosecution witness, Anil Kumar, a watchman at a PWD office, supported the prosecution's case. He told the court that he came out after hearing the sound of the crash and saw the damaged vehicle at the accident spot. Anil Kumar said locals and police officers at the scene told him that Sriram Venkitaraman had been driving the car. He also stated that he saw Sriram at the accident site. So far, four prosecution witnesses have been examined in the case.

Journalist K.M. Basheer was killed in the early hours of August 3, 2019, after being hit by a car in which Sriram Venkitaraman and his friend Wafa Firoz were travelling. Sriram is the first accused in the case and faces charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, rash and negligent driving, drunken driving, and destruction of evidence. Special Public Prosecutor B.S. Rajesh appeared for the prosecution.