An intensified search is under way to track a white car involved in a major-hit-and-run incident at Vadakara that claimed the life of an elderly woman from Kannur district and left her nine-year-old grandchild in a state of coma. Action comes in the wake of a series of public protests on the issue and the intervention of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission, citing the alleged laxity on the part of the Kozhikode Rural police in probing the accident that took place on February 17.
Apart from the intensified search by police, the Kerala State Legal Services Authority has stepped in with legal support by appointing a lawyer to help the family. As part of monitoring the status of the probe, the human rights commission has sought a report from the District Police Chief (Kozhikode rural). The case is likely to be considered at the upcoming sitting.
After the accident that took place about six months ago, the nine-year-old girl has been undergoing intensive treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode. With the delay in tracking the suspected vehicle and driver, the child has been missing out on possible insurance benefits for her advanced treatment.
The accident took place when the 68-year-old woman was crossing the road along with her grandchild. They were on a visit to their relative’s house at Chorode near Vadakara. Though most of the stretches close to the accident spot at Chorode were earlier under CCTV surveillance, the national highway widening works reportedly led to a sudden disruption of the surveillance network. The blurred visual of a white car proceeding to Thalassery was the only clue recovered from the available CCTV footage.
Close on the heels of growing local protests and questions from the rights panel, the police also issued a notice requesting the public to share inputs with the investigation teams to track the vehicle. Helpline numbers (9497980796 and 8086530022) were also circulated on official social media pages.
Published - September 02, 2024 07:20 pm IST
