'Exploiting our grief': Arjun's family accuses lorry owner Manaf of using his death for fame

Kozhikode: A week after Kozhikode native Arjun M, who died in a landslide in Karnataka's Shirur, and his truck were fished out of the Gangavali River following a 72-day-long search operation, his family has come out against lorry owner Abdul Manaf K, accusing him of exploiting their sentiments for personal gains. The family also warned Manaf that they would look at legal options if he continued to take advantage of the family's grief.

Manaf was celebrated on social media as the 'face of humanity' after his emotional appeal that he did not want his truck and only wished for Arjun's mortal remains to be handed over to his family. However, Arjun's family said Manaf was and still is exploiting their sentiments for personal gain, including increasing the number of viewers for his YouTube channel, which he started with Arjun's face as the profile picture.

"We have not raised this issue till now out of respect for Manaf, who stood with us during the first two phases of the search operation. However, things have gone out of control, especially on social media, where we are being harassed by his supporters," said a family member.

Talking to the media, Arjun's family said they did not want any money collected in Arjun's name. "Plenty of people have been contributing money to certain funds started in Arjun's name. We would like to clarify that none of it is happening with our knowledge, and we do not want any money collected in his name. Manaf and a few others had come to us with a certain amount of money raised in Arjun's name. It was a publicity stunt. We never asked Manaf to raise any money."

The family said false news, like Arjun was being paid Rs 75,000 monthly salary, and his sister and her husband were living off that money, were doing the rounds on social media. "Manaf's statement that he would raise Arjun's son as his fourth child hurt us. All we wanted was for Arjun's body to be found and returned to us, which was promised by the Karnataka chief minister. However, Manaf wanted 20 experts from here to be part of the search operation, which would have been impossible to get permission from the authorities. It's common sense. The same is the case with Eshwar Malpe (expert diver). All that noise from their part during the third phase was nothing but drama. They both have YouTube channels, and increasing the number of viewers was a gimmick," said a family member. The family, however, said Manaf's brother Mubeen stood with them right till the end, respecting their situation.

Arjun's family is my family: Manaf
Responding to the allegations raised by Arjun's family, Manaf said that he had not raised any funds in Arjun's name. "I sold my assets to get things done. I launched a YouTube channel to make sure that Arjun's matter remained live in the society. I used the channel to communicate what I felt to the public. I haven't taken a single penny from anyone," he said.

He also asked why the family was late in making such allegations. "I took up a task, and I completed it. It's over now. I have always considered them my family and will continue to treat them so. I will talk to them and settle all differences," said Manaf.