Amid heart-rending scenes and thousands of funereal faces, the bodies of eight victims killed in a road accident at Mukkola, near Tanur, on Friday were buried at the Juma Masjid graveyard at Kodakkad and Chettippadi on Saturday afternoon. Thousands of people had gathered at Kodakkad to bid a tearful adieu to the family of Kunhipeediyekkal Abdu, who lost his son, two daughters-in-law, four grandchildren, and a relative in the auto-bus crash at Mukkola.
Mr. Abdu from Kalaramkundu Colony near Vallikkunnu Railway Station wailed like a child as the bodies of his kin reached a madrassa at Kodakkad, where hundreds paid their tributes.
The bodies of Abdu’s son Kabeer, alias Cheriappu, 26; another son’s wife Arifa, 29; her daughter Nasna; another son’s wife Saheera, 27; and her children Mohammed Thafseer, 7, Tafseera, 4, and Ansar, 1, were buried at the Kodakkad Juma Masjid. The body of their kin Arshad, 22, was buried at Chettippadi Juma Masjid. Minister for Education P.K. Abdu Rabb; Minister for Industries P.K. Kunhalikutty; E.T. Mohammed Basheer, MP; Abdurahman Randathani and K.N.A. Khader, both MLAs; leaders of several political parties and religious organizations; and top officials of the district administration paid their tributes.
Transport Commissioner Rishiraj Singh; Inspector General of Police (Thrissur) S. Gopinath; and District Police Chief K. Manjunath visited the spot.
A hartal was observed at Tanur. Several vehicles were blocked at Tanur town.
The police registered a case against bus driver Faizal from Mangalam, Tirur, under Section 304 for culpable homicide. Faizal, who escaped from the scene soon after the accident, is on the run.
