COIMBATORE: A 45-year-old school van driver was beaten to death by the driver of a mini goods carrier vehicle following an altercation in Namakkal on Thursday.
The school van driver, Vijay, from Vayanayakkanur near Puduchatram, had reached Yelur after picking students from Navani and Agaram areas in the morning, when the incident happened.
“The mini goods carrier, driven by Aravind (23), had brushed against the school van. When Vijay questioned him, Aravind broke into an argument and abused him in filthy language. In a fit of rage, Aravind also thrashed him severely, resulting in his death on the spot,” police said.
The shocked students cried out for help. The public then caught the youth and handed him over to the police. Meanwhile, the family members, accompanied by a large number of villagers, gathered at the spot in protest.
They resorted to a road roko protest with the body of the deceased demanding stern action against the accused and seeking compensation.
On receiving information, senior police officials and revenue department authorities rushed to the spot and held talks with the protestors.
After several rounds of talks, they withdrew the protest and the body was sent for a post-mortem at Namakkal Government Medical College Hospital.
Traffic was disrupted on the busy stretch for over three hours due to a protest. The Puduchatram police have registered a case of murder and arrested the accused. Further inquiries are on.