Thiruvananthapuram witnessed protests on the Uthradam day on Sunday following the alleged suicide of 28-year-old unemployed youth near Karakkonam on Sunday. The deceased, identified as Anu S. of Thattitambalam, was found dead in his room. In a purported suicide note, he mentioned that his failure to find employment forced him to take the extreme step.
Anu’s relatives claimed that he had been in a state of depression ever since the validity of a Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) rank list for civil excise officers, in which he had secured the 77th rank, expired in June. While Anu, a bachelor, had been engaged in various menial jobs in the locality, his inability to secure a government job worried him immensely, they said.
The Vellarada police registered a case of unnatural death and ruled out any foul play.
Protests
The incident sparked protests and Yuva Morcha activists vented their ire on Parassala MLA C.K. Hareendran during his visit to Anu’s house. They also took out a march to the house of the legislator even while he promised that the plight of the aggrieved family would be taken up with the government.
Congress MLA K.S. Sabarinadhan, who visited the family, placed the blame on the government, claiming that the deceased stood a chance to gain employment had the PSC extended the validity of the rank list by another six months.
Separate demonstrations taken out by Yuva Morcha-ABVP and Youth Congress activists to the Secretariat turned violent.
The Secretariat witnessed yet another incident of security breach within a few days after two women Youth Congress activists jumped the compound fence to enter the premises.
Near Cliff House
Following post-mortem examination, BJP workers carried Anu’s body and laid siege to the road leading to the Cliff House. The agitation led by party district president V.V. Rajesh was later called off following attempts made by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Divya V. Gopinath to mollify the protesters, who claimed that the government agreed to consider the demands of Anu’s family including providing a government job to a member of the family.
(Suicide prevention helpline: DISHA – 1056, 0471-2552056)
