Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 15: City-based journalist S V Pradeep was killed in a road accident nearby Karakkamandapa on Monday evening after the two wheeler he was riding was hit by a car, police said.
Witnesses said the vehicle that hit Pradeep was a Swaraj Mazda truck and came from the same direction. The vehicle hit Pradeep's scooter, knocking him down and sped away after the accident. The police said they are focussed on tracing the vehicle that caused the accident.
The opposition Congress and BJP have demanded an inquiry into the death. "The mysterious death of Pradeep must be cleared. It needs a high-level investigation to find the vehicle which hit the journalist" said Kerala Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala.
Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan said the incident needs to be probed as the scribe was known for his critique of the state government. "A comprehensive inquiry into the incident needs to be conducted as the media person was a constant critique of the state government," he said in a Facebook post.
BJP state president K Surendran also urged the State Police Chief to form a special team to probe the incident. "The death was enigmatic as the deceased journalist knew a lot of secrets concerning the powerful," Surendran said in a Facebook post.
Pradeep is the second journalist be killed in a hit-and-run road accident in Thiruvananthapuram over the past 16 months. The death of Bureau Chief of Siraj daily, KM Basheer, who was killed after his motorbike was hit by a car in August 2019, had sparked controversy due to major lapses in the investigation as the key accused was IAS officer Siram Venkitaraman.
Pradeep's family has alleged that he had received threats. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has ordered a probe and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted, according to news agency.
The scribe who started his career with Kalakaumudi Daily later had worked in various television news channels. He was also associated with some Youtube channels for few years.
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