THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

The Kerala government has transferred Kochi City Police Commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar amid controversy over the police handling of a fatal road accident involving a Mercedes-Benz allegedly driven by the 17-year-old son of an Additional District Judge.

R Nishanthini, an IPS officer who was serving as Inspector General of Police, South Zone, has been appointed the new Kochi City Police Commissioner with immediate effect. The transfer followed a preliminary inquiry into alleged lapses in the investigation.

The accident occurred in the early hours of October 25 at Cheranalloor in Kochi. Jayabalakrishnan, a 55-year-old roadside eatery owner, was returning home on his scooter after closing his shop when the Mercedes-Benz allegedly hit his vehicle from behind. He died in the accident.

Four police personnel attached to Cheranalloor police station were suspended a day before the commissioner’s transfer over alleged lapses in handling the case. Questions were raised over the initial decision to release the minor on station bail and allegations of attempts to suppress evidence.

Preliminary findings indicated that the car was travelling at more than 100 kmph. The transfer has intensified scrutiny of the investigation, with the authorities facing demands for accountability and a thorough probe into the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash.