Malappuram: An auto-rickshaw driver in Malappuram died by suicide on Thursday after posting a note on Facebook alleging that officials of the Kerala Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) were solely responsible for his death.
Shoukath, 37, a native of Mundamparamba near Areekode, said in his Facebook post that he had visited the Kondotty MVD office and approached agents several times over the past 10 months to get his vehicle’s fitness certificate renewed, but was unable to obtain it.
He alleged that the MVD had destroyed his livelihood simply because he refused to pay a bribe. He also said that his income had come to a halt and he was unable to pay his EMIs because he could not obtain the fitness certificate.
The suicide note has triggered protests, with demands for action against MVD officials allegedly responsible for Shoukath’s death. Auto-rickshaw drivers in Kondotty blocked the road on Thursday, demanding action against the officials.
Areekode police registered a case in connection with the death and began investigating the allegations raised in the suicide note.
In his Facebook note, Shoukath described his suicide as a protest against the “system”.
“They destroyed my very means of livelihood for the sole reason that I did not pay a bribe. For the past ten months, I have been going back and forth between agents and MVD offices. Now, I have no other options left. All my EMIs are overdue. My credit score has fallen from 820 to 600. I have already spoken about all this earlier. I am providing the links below,” he said.
He appealed to people to seek justice for him after his death so that others would not become victims of the system.
“If you do not want to become the next victim, then, at least after my death, getting justice for me is what each of you should do as an Indian citizen,” he said.
Shoukath said he had no parents, siblings, wife or children and that the State was therefore the only entity that could pursue his case under Indian law.
“Since I was forced to take my own life because of that very State, the only way for me to get justice from this system is for each one of you, as part of the State, to raise your voice,” he said.
He said that had he approached senior government officials or the court, he might have been able to obtain the documents he needed. However, he argued that this could not be considered a solution to the systemic problems.
“Making everyone run from one court to another simply to obtain a document is hardly an easy solution. Therefore, my suicide is also a protest against the system,” he said.
Shoukath also criticised what he described as widespread corruption in the system and said that effective public intervention was necessary to address it. He alleged that a “sham investigation” could allow corrupt MVD officials to escape accountability. According to him, the officials could argue that his vehicle was unfit.
He claimed that the same MVD had certified on two previous occasions that the steel work carried out on his vehicle was not illegal. He also anticipated that officials might argue that the vehicle was later found to be unfit or that fitness certificates were issued to other vehicles without similar modifications.
He called for a thorough investigation to examine these claims and urged the Home Minister and the High Court to intervene in the matter. Shoukath also alleged that the ‘agent system’ was a major reason for corruption in the MVD offices. “If this system is abolished, 80% of the corruption in the department will end,” he said, adding that he was willing to give his life for the cause.
The note concluded with a quote attributed to Dr B R Ambedkar: “Democracy is not merely a form of government. It is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience.”
Areekode police said a detailed investigation would be conducted into the death after collecting statements from Shoukath’s colleagues and family members.
