Kerala Mini Cooper crash sparks political clash as CPI(M) accuses Congress of shielding driver

The Kerala Mini Cooper case has become a political flashpoint as the CPI(M) accuses the state Congress government of protecting the 19‑year‑old driver. On Sunday night Suhail Sajeev, son of a prominent Alappuzha boutique owner, allegedly drove his newly gifted Mini Cooper while intoxicated and struck three youths near Kochi International Airport. The victims – Gopika, Iyas and Devika – were in their early twenties, returning from a shift at an antique showroom. Gopika was an NSS volunteer and part‑time worker; her father M R Pradeep Kumar, an auto driver from Palakkad, said the family struggled to pay her education fees. Kumar claimed ministers from Alappuzha, Sajeev’s home district, were trying to stall the probe. CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said the Congress government was shielding the accused with money and power. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala rejected the allegation, calling it baseless and vowed that no minister would interfere, noting that Sajeev was sent to a borstal school as required for offenders aged 18‑21. Excise Minister M Liju said FIRs were filed against three liquor bars that served alcohol to Sajeev and friends, violating the abkari act that bans sales to people under 23. Ernakulam Rural SP K S Sudarshan said police collected blood and urine samples to test for alcohol or drugs and found no basis for the family’s claim. The incident has drawn backlash across Kerala and beyond.

Context

The case highlights how a traffic accident can trigger political rivalry in Kerala, where the CPI(M) and Congress frequently clash over law‑enforcement issues. It also shows the role of borstal schools as a legacy of the colonial legal system for young offenders.