Journalists protest Sriram Venkitaraman’s presence; IAS officer walks out of press meet

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Journalists staged a protest against the director of agriculture department Sriram Venkitaraman when he came for a press meet along with Agriculture Minister T Siddique. Media personnel objected to his presence, stating that they would not share the venue with the accused in the death of journalist K M Basheer. Following the protest, Sriram voluntarily left the press meet.

Although the minister attempted to persuade journalists to stay and hear the briefing first, many began to walk out. Sriram then said he would leave and left the media room in the assembly.

Sriram Venkitaraman IAS is the first accused in the case related to the death of journalist K M Basheer, who was killed after being hit by a car in 2019. The incident occurred around 1 am on August 3, 2019, near the Museum area in Thiruvananthapuram.

The car involved in the accident was registered in the name of Wafa Firoz, a resident of Thiruvananthapuram. Investigators initially examined claims that Wafa had been driving the vehicle, but eyewitness testimony reportedly established that Sriram was behind the wheel at the time of the crash. Wafa was later removed from the charge sheet by the court.

The trial in the case is reportedly scheduled to begin on August 1. Charges have been filed under provisions of the Indian Penal Code relating to rash driving, destruction of evidence, and culpable homicide, along with relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act.