A 53-year-old man from Tamil Nadu who was seriously injured in a road accident involving Malayalam television actor Sidharth Prabhu has died. 

The deceased, Thankaraj, a native of Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu and a lottery seller, succumbed to his injuries on Thursday night while undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam. His body has been kept at the hospital, and an autopsy will be conducted on Friday after the completion of inquest procedures, police said.

An official from the Chingavanam police station confirmed that additional charges would be slapped on Sidharth Prabhu following Thankaraj’s death. The actor had earlier been booked for drunken driving, rash driving causing an accident, and creating a public nuisance.

The accident happened on the night of December 24 at Nattakom in Kottayam, when Sidharth’s car hit Thankaraj, who was walking along the road. After the accident, local residents attempted to stop the vehicle, following which the actor allegedly manhandled them and used abusive language. Alerted by locals, the police reached the spot and took him into custody. He also verbally abused the police officers, they said.

“He created a lot of nuisance at the police station as well and was released on bail the next day,” the official said. "A subsequent medical examination confirmed that the actor was heavily intoxicated by alcohol, though we initially suspected the influence of other substances," the cop added.

Thankaraj had suffered severe injuries, including a serious head injury. His family members from Tamil Nadu reached Kottayam soon after the accident and were by his side during treatment, police added.