It was on the night of February 7 that two young men – Adarsh and Sabith – lost their lives after a bus hit their bike in Kuzhalmannam in Palakkad district. The Kerala police have now formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the death of the two youngsters who died after the Kerala State Transport Corporation bus hit their two-wheeler.
Viswanadh R, the Palakkad Superintendent of Police, announced the formation of the SIT after allegations that it was not accidental and the bus driver T Ouseph hit the bike deliberately.
Adarsh’s father Mohanan has alleged that there was a spat between the young men and the driver, and that a few passengers had informed him about the same. "A few passengers told me that there was a spat between the driver and the boys (Adarsh and Sabith) before the incident happened. I have no proof, but I think that it was not just an accident,” he said. Even Sabith’s family has levelled the same allegation.
The visuals of the incident has caused much outrage in Kerala. Recorded by a camera in another car that was travelling behind them, the visuals show the bus trying to overtake a lorry on the left. The two-wheeler can be seen sandwiched between the bus and the lorry. The visuals revealed that the bus moved to its right suddenly mowing down the bike.
Bus driver Ouseph was arrested on February 11 and was let out on bail from the police station. He was suspended by the department. The families have however demanded that he should be terminated without any benefits and booked for murder.
The Palakkad unit of the Communist Party of India held a protest in the district on Saturday, February 12 demanding that a murder case be booked against Ouseph. The protesters condemned the police for using only bailable charges and letting off the accused on station bail.
The families meanwhile have said that they will approach the High Court demanding an inquiry.
However, according to the bus driver, he did not see the bike as it was dark. He said that the two-wheeler was not visible through the rear view mirror.