Malappuram: A 37-year-old teacher was killed after a car allegedly driven by a drunk driver rammed into the scooter he was travelling on with a friend at Othukkungal in Malappuram on Sunday night.

Sharafudheen, a native of Palemad in Kuzhippuram, Othukkungal, was travelling with his friend Habeeb when the car hit their scooter. Both sustained serious injuries and were rushed to a private hospital in Kottakkal. Sharafudheen died on Monday morning, while Habeeb was seriously injured.

The car driver, Akbar Ali, 36, a native of Parappur in Malappuram, was arrested by Vengara police. A medical examination confirmed that he was under the influence of alcohol, police said.

Sharafudheen had posted a WhatsApp status condemning drunk driving just hours before the accident, describing deaths caused by it as murders.

Reacting to the recent road accident in Cheranalloor through the WhatsApp status, he had questioned the lack of stringent action against drunk driving and reckless motorists.

“An average of 15 people die in road accidents in Kerala every day. More than half of these are not mere accidents, but murders,” he wrote, arguing that people who drive after drinking are aware of the risks they pose to others.

He also criticised the reckless driving of private buses and tipper lorries, questioning how many lives had been lost because of their dangerous driving and why effective restrictions were not being enforced.

“Those responsible do not even have to spend a day in jail. They can return home on station bail,” he said in post.

Sharafudheen was working as a temporary teacher at a private school.