Kerala vows strict bar action after drunken crash kills three

Kerala Excise Minister M Liju told the Assembly that the state government will take strict action against bars that serve alcohol to people below the legal drinking age of 23. This announcement follows a fatal crash near the Kochi airport involving a 19-year-old driver named Suhail Sajeev in a MINI Cooper.

The Crash

Sajeev was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol when his car rammed into a scooter and dragged it and its riders for over 100 metres. The three victims were a man and two women who were all 21 years old and worked part-time at a showroom near the airport. They had stepped out for a tea break when the collision happened. Police stated that Sajeev had allegedly consumed alcohol at two different bars and was heading to a third when the accident took place.

Arrests and Past Incidents

Police said Sajeev had a history of overspeeding, including an earlier incident where he was recorded driving at 218 kilometres per hour and tried to escape trouble by using his businessman father's name. On Sunday, he was reportedly driving at 125 kilometres per hour. Witnesses noted that Sajeev told people at the crash scene that his father would handle the matter. On Monday, police arrested three other car occupants named Ninav, Ameer and Joyal for fleeing the scene and abetting Sajeev to drive while drunk. In response to a query from Ernakulam MLA T J Vinod, Minister Liju confirmed that the Excise Department registered cases against three bars for serving alcohol to an underage person.

Context

Legal drinking age limits exist to prevent young people from engaging in high-risk behaviors like reckless driving under the influence. Such tragic traffic incidents often spark intense public debates around road safety laws and the accountability of establishments that flout rules regarding age limits and alcohol sales.