A Good Samaritan autorickshaw driver

Hyderabad: An unlettered Muslim auto-rickshaw driver lays emphasis on the need to practice communal harmony and advocates Hindu-Muslim unity and desires that society progresses unitedly.

He appealed to one and all to come forward to forge unity among Hindus and Muslims.
He is identified as Mohammad Ibrahim of Secunderabad and his wife Gruhani. The couple has two children who are studying in class seven and SSC.

For the past two decades, he made it a practice to distribute fruits among Hindus who are on fasting for Sivaratri. Also, he distributes fruits among the inmates of the Chaitanya Mahila Mandali, near the Arts College.

He always stands by fellow autorickshaw drivers. He on one hand, supports the e-challans and on the other, wants the police to ease challan burden on poor drivers. He was instrumental in starting a stand for autorickshaw drivers with the help of traffic police. He got auto drivers given numbers and furnished their details to the police ruling out scope for the drivers to err.

He was also instrumental in starting a license mela with the transport authorities’ support.

He protested in front of the Alpha Hotel here demanding the police to ease the e-challan burden on the three-wheeler drivers. He is always ready to help the poor drivers.
On Gandhi Jayanti, he feeds the poor in front of the Alpha Hotel spending from his pocket. He also takes part in the activities of the local dargah. Besides, he lends support to the Ganesh Utsav Samiti for the immersion of Ganesh idols.

He will not allow wrongdoing to take place in front of his eyes. He wants government officials to work transparently without giving scope for corruption. He also staged dharna protesting against the corruption in the transport department. He lodged complaints with the RTA officials to check corruption.

He was against a private school replacing a Madarsa at Warasiguda and advocates free education to the poor Muslim students.

He advocates social justice and wants people to oppose corruption by tooth and nail. He tells drivers against cheating the strangers and insists on collecting just fare by the meter. He also launched a demonstration against Ola and Uber, whose interests he said are inimical to the autorickshaw drivers.

He also participated in Swachh Hyderabad along with the Loka Kshema Foundation and Mahankali traffic police.

To instill confidence among the autorickshaw drivers, he got a cake cut in front of Secunderabad railway station along with the HMTV as the clock struck 12 welcoming new year on December 31 night.

He lobbied with the police for security to the autorickshaw drivers.
He lives in a rented house and wanted his children to grow up as education unlike him.
Because of some black-sheep among the autorickshaw drivers, the whole tribe’s image is getting tarnished.

He wants drivers to safely transport passengers to their destination and also provide security.

He wants the police and autorickshaw drivers to focus on irregularities in issuing auto permits, to check mushrooming auto finance companies. He seeks the police to take action against autorickshaw drivers who usually indulge in gambling at the Telugutalli fly-over, near GHMC head office, Khairatabad and other places.

Fellow driver Mahesh describes Ibrahim as supportive, the man who saved the drivers from e-challan burden and was instrumental in providing parking for autos in front of the KIMS hospital and Secunderabad railway station. Mahesh said Ibrahim waged a war against corruption.

By Ramesh Valmiki