Thar jeep hits bike: Husband dies after wife, body brought to police station in protest

KILIMANOOR: A young man who was undergoing treatment after sustaining injuries in a road accident at Pappala has died, triggering a protest in front of the Kilimanoor Police Station. Relatives staged the protest by bringing the body to the station, accusing the police of failing to arrest those responsible for the accident that claimed the lives of the man and his wife. They alleged that the police were protecting the accused.

The accident occurred on January 4 at Pappala in Kilimanoor, when a Thar jeep rammed into a motorcycle ridden by Ranjith (40) of Rajesh Bhavan, Puthukode, and his wife Ambika (31). Ambika was thrown onto the road and the jeep reportedly ran over her, while Ranjith sustained serious injuries. Ambika died the following day while undergoing treatment at a medical college. Ranjith succumbed to his injuries a few days later.

After the post-mortem examination, an ambulance carrying Ranjith’s body was brought to the Kilimanoor Police Station. The body was taken out on a stretcher and a protest was staged in front of the station. As the ambulance was parked on the road, traffic on the state highway was disrupted for nearly an hour. Police and political leaders intervened, later moving the body to the front of the station and clearing the road. Minor scuffles were reported between relatives, political activists, and the police during the protest.

Subsequently, MLA O.S. Ambika, Varkala DySP Gopakumar and Robert, Kilimanoor CI B. Jayan, Venjaramoodu CI Azad Abdul Kalam, and Pangode CI Jinesh held discussions with the relatives of Ranjith and Ambika. The protest was called off after officials assured them that a case of culpable homicide would be registered, a special investigation team would be formed, and the accused would be arrested at the earliest.

Accused still missing
Police said the jeep involved in the accident, which did not stop after the crash, was found damaged at Irattakulam. While trying to abandon the vehicle and escape, Vishnu, a native of Vallakkadavu, was caught by locals and handed over to the police. He reportedly told the police that two others were with him, that he was lying drunk on the back seat, and that he did not know who was driving the vehicle. Vishnu, who is the owner of the vehicle, was released by the police on the same night. Police later claimed that he switched off his mobile phone and went into hiding. The jeep was taken into custody on the same day.

Police had recovered ID cards belonging to a police officer and a fire force officer from the vehicle. Relatives alleged that these officials may have been in the vehicle and that this was why the police were protecting the accused. However, police said the owners of the ID cards were not present at the tower location of the accident on the day of the incident.