Kochi: The Kochi City Police have denied allegations that the cops abandoned two injured youths following a road accident during vehicle inspection in Chellanam early hours of Thursday. While the police maintain they left the scene urgently to save their critically injured colleague, the family of one of the riders has approached the Chief Minister, terming the alleged act of leaving the injured youth behind as “inhumane.”

The incident occurred around 2:00 am when Anil Rajendran and Rahul Sabu, natives of Kommadi, Alappuzha, were returning from Christmas celebrations in Fort Kochi. They were signalled to stop by the Kannamaly police at Chellanam.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Aswathi Jiji defended the police action, stating the bike was speeding, and the riders failed to stop when signalled. “The officer felt something was amiss, seeing the speeding bike, and signalled to stop. The riders did not stop, and in the process, they crashed into the police officer,” the DCP told the media. She added that CCTV visuals and audio of a scream from the scene corroborate that the bike was travelling at high speed before toppling.

However, Rahul Sabu, the pillion rider, refuted the police version again. While admitting they were speeding and noticed the police late, Rahul alleged that Civil Police Officer (CPO) Bijumon grabbed the rider Anil’s right hand in an attempt to stop them. This action, he claims, caused the bike to lose balance, bringing down both the youths and the officer.

The DCP stated that CPO Bijumon was in a critical condition, having lost consciousness with bleeding from the nose and ears. “The youths were conscious and stood up. The officer asked them to come along for treatment, but they refused, saying they would take care of it themselves. That is the only reason the police left,” Jiji said.

Rahul contested this, alleging that the ASI present behaved without conscience. Rahul claims that despite his own injuries, he helped load the injured CPO into the police jeep. When he requested that his friend Anil also be taken to the hospital, the ASI allegedly replied, “You take him,” and drove away.

Left stranded, Rahul tied Anil to his own body using a T-shirt and belt and rode the damaged bike approximately 20 kilometers to the Chettikad Government Hospital. Anil, who was later shifted to a private hospital in Ernakulam, has suffered a broken nose and is scheduled to undergo nasal surgery. CPO Bijumon also underwent surgery for a fractured arm.

While the police have registered a case against the youths, the incident has sparked a counter-complaint. Anil’s father has written to the Alappuzha Superintendent of Police (SP) and the Chief Minister, detailing the incident and seeking stringent action against the police officers for what he described as the “inhumane” abandonment of the injured youths.