'He should have stopped & checked on them': Injured youth's parent slams Maniyanpilla Raju after hit & run case

Two youths, who were injured after their two-wheeler was allegedly hit by the car driven by Malayalam film actor Maniyanpilla Raju, will undergo surgery on Friday. Nidev, who was riding the bike, fractured his left leg while Sooraj, who was riding pillion, sustained fractures to his thigh bone and hip. Nidev's father Pradeep told Onmanorama that the car hit the two-wheeler and dragged the bike for a while. "Under the impact, Sooraj was thrown off the bike while Nidev lost consciousness. Sooraj screamed for help and people rang up police and fire force. We were alerted by a fire force officer," Pradeep said.

Nidev and Sooraj are schoolmates. Nidev is a third-year LLB student at the Law Academy, Thiruvananthapuram. Both of them left to get a copy of an assignment as part of an ongoing LLB examination. They left home around 8 pm and were on their way back to Sreevarahom when the accident happened.

Pradeep said that Maniyanpilla Raju should have stopped the vehicle and tended to the injured youths. "There may be different versions as to who was at fault, but he didn't stop the car. Eyewitnesses said that Sooraj was hurled upto a distance of around 20 metres from the accident site. Such was the force with which they were hit. One of them even fell unconscious, still he didn't bother to stop and check on them. The least he could have done was to take them to hospital as soon as possible," Pradeep said.

Raju appeared at the Museum police on Friday. His arrest was recorded and was taken for medical examination. The actor faces charges under relevant provisions of the BNS and Motor vehicles act for rash and negligent driving and failure on his part to secure medical attention for the accident victims.

Rahul, brother of Sooraj, said that Maniyanpilla Raju was leaving the Trivandrum club when his car hit the motorcycle. "It was Sooraj who informed me of the accident. He was in pain. He told me that they were headed towards Vazhuthacaud while the actor was about to take a right-turn from the club to Kowdiar. They had honked the horn to alert Raju, he seemed to halt the vehicle, then he sped forward hitting the bike," said Rahul.

Sooraj is preparing for a course in ITI.