Hummer victim struggled to give his children education and hope

“Chandrabose wanted to move in as soon as the scaffoldings were removed. Due to lack of funds, the plastering and other works were planned for later. It is so terrible that he could not live there for a day,’’ says Danesh, a relative.

Chandrabose died on Monday after an 18-day struggle and multiple operations. He was tortured allegedly by beedi tycoon Mohammed Nisham for the slight delay in opening the gates of Sobha City. Nisham also knocked him down with his Hummer.

Doctors at Amala Medical College in Thrissur, where he was treated, said his internal organs were severely injured. His ribs were broken at nine places and one of the ribs had pierced the lungs. As he was crushed against the wall with the Hummer, his right arm had fractures at five places.

It has been a struggle for Chandrabose and his wife Jamanthi to keep their children in school. Neighbours recall how proud Chandrabose was when his daughter Revathi got admitted to the National Institute of Technology in Kozhikode. His son Amal Dev is a Class IX student.

Chandrabose worked as an auto driver and a painter till back pain forced him to take up the job of a security guard at Rs 9,000 a month at Sobha City. Since his salary was not enough to keep the children in school, Jamanthi, a daily wager, went to the Gulf for two years to work as a house maid.

His employers Sobha Group said they would bear the educational expenses of Chandrabose’s children. Besides, the family would be given the equivalent of his last salary every month for next five years. “We have paid the hospital bills and are looking at other ways to help the family,’’ company sources said.