Representative imageErumeli: Even drinking water is injurious to health if it is in a liquor bottle. A student of a lower primary school goes to the class with a discarded liquor bottle doubled up as a water bottle. The teacher obviously does not like it and warns the auto driver who drops and picks up the student. The auto driver passes on the message to the child’s parent. The parent, perhaps a wee bit embarrassed, picks a quarrel with the auto driver the next morning. The driver is hospitalized but that night, someone torches the office of an educational society in the area.
Sounds like a one-liner for another super hit Malayalam movie on the lines of ‘Maheshinte Prathikaram’? Well this one is for real. And it happened at Mukkada near Erumeli.
Joji Simon (35), the auto driver recuperating in the hospital, says he was beaten up for no fault of his. The members of the society say Simon’s buddies were behind the arson.
It all started when a student pulled out a liquor bottle in classroom to have a sip at, well, just plain harmless water. The bottle still retained the label of its previous occupant. The offended teacher waited for the careless parent but Simon turned up instead. The teacher gave the auto driver a mouthful regardless.
Simon told the parent in turn. The parent seemed to agree and said the mistake would not be repeated. All hell broke loose next morning when, according to Simon, the parent locked horns with him. Simon said he was beaten up.
More drama was in store that night when someone set on fire the office of the Dravida Cultural and Educational Society. The police have been camping in the locality considering the tense situation. Three persons have been arrested for beating up Simon, Manimala Sub Inspector E P Reji said. The auto drivers in the area went on a flash strike to protest the attack on Simon.
