Kerala Minister seeks report after auto driver suicide

Kerala Transport Minister C. P. John has requested a report from Transport Commissioner Nagaraju Chakilam following the suicide of a 35-year-old auto-rickshaw driver in Malappuram. The deceased, identified as Shoukath, blamed the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) for his death in a social media post.

Shoukath alleged that the MVD repeatedly denied him a vehicle fitness certificate because he refused to use an agent or pay bribes. He claimed that the inability to operate his vehicle, his primary source of income, led to severe financial distress and loan defaults. He further alleged that the department’s reliance on an agent system is a primary driver of corruption within the MVD.