Sriram Venkitaraman got exemptions that even P.T. Chacko did not get: Muraleedharan

Minister for Health K. Muraleedharan stated that IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman received exemptions, even surpassing those granted to former Kerala Minister P.T. Chacko, when it came to the death of journalist K.M. Basheer in a 2019 drunk-driving-related accident. Venkitaraman, currently the Director of the Agriculture Development and Farmers’ Welfare department, was in charge of Basheer's Thiruvananthapuram bureau as the Thiruvananthapuram bureau chief of Malayalam daily Siraj.

Basheer was killed on August 3, 2019, after his motorcycle was struck by a car allegedly driven by Venkitaraman. Chacko, who served as Home Minister in R. Sankar's cabinet, was compelled to resign in early 1964 after being caught driving with a woman party worker. This incident led to the formation of the Kerala Congress. Muraleedharan expressed the United Democratic Front's (UDF) commitment to support Basheer's family.

He emphasized that if Basheer had lived, he would have been among the state's finest reporters. Concern was expressed that despite the vigilance of media professionals and society, efforts were made to undermine the case. The decision on the demand for a special public prosecutor will be made based on a Kerala High Court ruling, according to Muraleedharan. District unit president Schiller Stephen chaired the event.