Amidst raging protests, the police team probing the death of Apheel Johnson in a freak accident during the Junior Athletic Meet in Pala granted a major reprieve to the event organisers by deciding not to arrest them for the time being.
Official sources said a decision not to arrest the four officials, identified as T.D. Martin, K.V. Joseph, Muhammad Kasim and P. Narayanan Kutty, was made after a two-day police inquiry. The decision was made taking into consideration that none of these officials had any criminal antecedents.
“The investigation clearly pointed to a clear lapse from these officials in organising more than one standard throwing event in the venue at the same time. Hence a decision was made to book them for causing death by negligence, which is a bailable offense,” sources said.
Confirming the move, K. Subash, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Pala, said a case under IPC 304 A was registered against the officials, who would require to appear before the investigation official and give their statements. “The investigators will consult experts to ascertain whether there was any violation of the security procedure which led to the death and prepare the charge-sheet accordingly,” the official said.
The investigation by a three-member expert team, appointed by the State government too had found fault with the simultaneous conduct of the throwing events at the meet and held these officials responsible for Apheel’s death.
The latest move by the police comes amidst protest against the delay in arresting those responsible for the 17-year-old’s death even several weeks after the incident. The youngster, a football player, was attending the event when a flying hammer weighing 3 kg, thrown by one of the participants, hit his head.
Following the incident, an alleged attempt by the event organisers to disown the youth’s attendance had raised a few eyebrows. Outraged by the development, Apheel’s parents and an action committee formed in his name approached the Chief Minister seeking a judicial probe into the episode.
