Parassala SHO suspended over fatal hit-and-run incident

Thiruvananthapuram: Parassala Station House Officer (SHO) P Anil Kumar was suspended from service on Monday following a hit-and-run case which killed a pedestrian near Kilimanoor police station on MC Road.

Thiruvananthapuram Rural SP K S Sudarshan had recommended disciplinary action against him in connection with the incident. The report by the SP was forwarded to DIG Ajeetha Beegum and later submitted to the South Zone IG S Shyam Sunder on Monday after verification.

Anil Kumar, who had been in Bengaluru in connection with another investigation, returned on Sunday morning and has not yet reported to his station or the SP’s office. Police have confirmed that the vehicle involved in the accident is registered in his name. According to Rural SP Sudarshan, fleeing the scene without informing the nearby police station or taking the injured man to a hospital amounted to serious offences.

The accident occurred in the early hours of September 7, when Anil Kumar’s car struck 59-year-old Rajan, a daily wage worker from Kunnil Veettil, Melevela near Chenikkuzhy. Rajan, who was on his way to have tea, lay injured on the road for nearly an hour after the collision. Around 6 am, a police team shifted him to the Keshavapuram Community Health Centre, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Initially, the incident was reported as a hit-and-run involving an unidentified vehicle. However, CCTV footage later confirmed that Anil Kumar was behind the wheel. Anil Kumar is a native of Kaithod near Nilamel.