The vehicle rammed the scooter on Container Road near Maraparamb in Cheranelloor around 2.20am on Sunday
An FIR has been registered under Sections 281 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for rash driving and causing death by negligence. Police later said Section 105, which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, would be added following allegations that no strong action was being taken in the case. The 17-year-old was released from the police station earlier as the offences initially invoked were bailable. Police have not revealed the minor’s details since Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act prohibits the disclosure of the identity or any other particulars that may lead to the identification of a child in conflict with the law. The accident comes close on the heels of another high-profile accident here on Oct 11, when a Mini Cooper car driven by a 19-year-old mowed down a scooter, killing three youths. Suhail (19), who was behind the wheel, was inebriated and the car was driven at an extreme speed.
Police sources said a decision on further action, including apprehending him and producing him before the Juvenile Justice Board, would be taken soon. A senior officer with Cheranelloor police said the minor underwent a medical examination, and the preliminary report indicated that he had not consumed alcohol. A preliminary investigation indicated that the boy was alone in the car, the officer said. She alleged that the minor’s father told her not to question him when she asked why a minor had been allowed to drive. She said she insisted on meeting the boy’s parents after police personnel told her that his father was a judicial officer.
The deceased was identified as Jayabalakrishnan, son of Rangaswamy Chettiyar of South Chittoor. He ran a roadside eatery and was reportedly heading home after closing the shop when the accident occurred. Both vehicles were travelling towards Kalamassery, and a preliminary police investigation indicated that the car hit the scooter from behind. A detailed report is awaited. He is still in remand.
Police later found that the accused had consumed liquor from three different bar hotels before the accident.
The damage to the vehicles itself showed the intensity of the collision,” she told reporters. Meanwhile, Jayalakshmi, a relative of the victim, described the accident scene as horrifying. “One of his footwear items was on the road, while the other chappal and helmet were some distance away on the service road.