Malappuram: Abdul Latheef (49), an autorickshaw driver who collapsed and died after being manhandled by a bus driver at Othukkungal here, died of a heart attack caused by the assault, cited his post-mortem report. After the autopsy report confirmed the cause of death, police filed homicide charges against the three accused in the case. The accused are bus workers Siju (37), Sudheesh (36), and Muhammad Nishad (28).
The bus workers assaulted Latheef after accusing him of picking up a passenger from a bus stop at Vadekkemanna on Friday around 10 am. The bus workers chased his autorickshaw, intercepted it, and assaulted him. In visuals aired on Manorama News, the bus driver can be seen beating Latheef.
After the altercation, Latheef reached Malappuram Taluk Hospital alone, where he collapsed and died.
Initially, police had registered a case of unnatural death under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). However, culpable homicide charges were filed against the accused after the autopsy report was obtained.
Latheef, a native of Manoor, is survived by his father Alavi, mother Ayisha, wife Khayarunnisa, and four children—Ajmal, Arshad, Arshida, and Ansiya.
