Wafa Firoz has refuted suspended IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman's statement that she drove the vehicle when it rammed into a motorcycle and claimed the life of a journalist in Thiruvananthapuram.
Sriram, in his explanation letter to Chief Secretary Tom Jose the other day, had claimed that he was not drunk at the time of the accident.
“There are already six or seven eyewitnesses of the incident. There is also the forensic report. Where are they?” she asked.
“I am an ordinary citizen. I don't have power. I had disclosed all the details to the police three days after the accident. I don't have anything to hide. I stand by what I said,” Wafa said.
Wafa, who was with Sriram during the time of the accident, also expressed concerns about her safety. “Sriram has power and he can do anything. I am worried about my fate,” she said in a video released on Thursday.
Journalist KM Basheer was on his way from work and had stopped his motorcycle to attend a call when the car hit him. The car belonged to Wafa. Eyewitnesses had said that it was Sriram who was behind the wheel and that he was drunk. The 2013 batch officer was suspended in accordance with the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules 1969.
Sriram's explanation
In his clarification, Sriram said that the car was driven by Wafa. He refuted eyewitness accounts that he was drunk, citing a medical report which failed to detect alcohol in his blood.
The government on Thursday extended Sriram's suspension by 60 more days.
