On July 16, Amal, 19, was riding a motorcycle with friends Vishnu and Abhishek near Pudukad when a police vehicle, according to the family, signalled them to stop, pursued them, and struck the bike from behind, throwing all three onto the road.
Abhishek sustained serious head injuries and spent five days in intensive care, while Amal and Vishnu were also injured. The incident led to the suspension of four Pudukad police personnel – station house officer Mahesh and civil officers Yadukrishnan, Naveen Kumar and Faisal – pending investigation.
Prasanna Shaju, Amal’s mother, alleges the crash was not an accident but a premeditated act intended to kill the youths. She says the police seized Amal’s iPhone, which automatically recorded audio and video of the aftermath. After two months of holding the material, Shaju released the footage publicly, claiming it contains incriminating statements by the officers.
In the released recording, a voice can be heard saying, “If we had increased the speed a little more, the youths would have died then itself.” A second exchange reportedly includes an officer asking whether the injured youths should be taken to hospital, with another replying that they should not be taken, fearing the incident would become known.
Shaju has submitted the video, along with medical records and a written complaint, to senior police officials, including the Additional Director General of Police, the Thrissur Deputy Inspector General of Police, and the district police chief. She says the district chief directed the Varandarappilly police to file an FIR, but the case has not been registered to date.
The family has also approached senior officer P. Vijayan, accusing the police of deliberately delaying action. They are now demanding that an attempt‑to‑murder case be registered against the suspended officers.
The release of the footage has intensified public scrutiny of the Pudukad police’s handling of the incident and raised questions about accountability for alleged misuse of force by law‑enforcement officials.