Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 28 (PTI) Senior CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday termed the alleged suicide of an autorickshaw driver in Malappuram over denial of a fitness certificate for his vehicle as “extremely unfortunate, condemnable” and accused the government of “failing” to protect the livelihood of ordinary workers.
In a Facebook post, the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly alleged that Shoukat, the driver hailing from Mundaparambu, was driven to suicide by the harassment and corruption of officials at the Kondotty Sub Regional Transport Office.
His remarks came a day after the 33-year-old autorickshaw driver allegedly died by suicide after posting on Facebook that the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) had denied a fitness certificate for his vehicle.
Shoukat had alleged in his FB post that officials had blocked the livelihood of an ordinary worker and pushed him towards death by denying the fitness certificate, police said.
Police also said Shoukat’s friends alerted them after seeing his Facebook post and went to his house, where he was found dead. He had been working as an autorickshaw driver for the past four years.
Vijayan, in his social media post, alleged that Shoukat’s “mistake” was that he approached the RTO directly instead of through agents and was unwilling to pay a bribe.
The vehicle had previously been issued a fitness certificate under similar circumstances, but the certificate was denied for nearly 10 months citing minor bodywork and modifications, the LoP said.
With the vehicle unable to be operated on the road, Shoukat’s bank loan repayments were disrupted and his CIBIL score was affected, Vijayan pointed out.
When his livelihood was completely blocked and he had no other means to survive, the young man was forced to take his own life, Vijayan alleged.
The veteran accused the UDF government and Chief Minister V D Satheesan of “violating” promises made during the election campaign to remove impractical provisions relating to vehicle modifications and bodywork and provide relaxations.
Those who had promised changes after campaigning across the state had forgotten all such assurances after coming to power, he alleged.
“Unnecessary harassment” by the MVD was now taking place even in the case of permitted modifications, Vijayan said.
He further charged the state government with giving “complete freedom” to agent mafias and corrupt officials while adopting policies that hurt ordinary workers.
The government cannot escape responsibility through a mere investigation, he said, demanding that it correct what he termed an “anti-people approach” that threatened the lives and livelihoods of workers and ordinary people.
The former Chief Minister further demanded that the government register criminal cases against officials of the Kondotty Sub RTO whom he held responsible for Shoukat’s death.
He also said the government was duty-bound to provide immediate financial assistance and adequate compensation to the bereaved family.
State Transport Minister C P John on Thursday had sought a report on the allegations against the Sub RTO.
John said Transport Department Secretary T V Anupama had been tasked with conducting a comprehensive inquiry into Shoukat’s death.
Various autorickshaw drivers’ and employees’ unions had staged a protest march at Kizhisseri in Malappuram demanding action over the allegations against the MVD. PTI LGK ROH
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