Protests continued to mount over the suicide of a couple in Neyyattinkara even as the Kerala government offered on Tuesday to support their children.
The deaths of Rajan, 47, and his wife Ambili, 36, of Pongil in Nellimoodu during their move to thwart an attempt to evict the family from their house sparked protests in various parts of the State. The plight of their sons, Rahul and Renjith, prompted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to take up the issue.
Terming the incident unfortunate, Mr. Vijayan said during his Kerala Paryadanam programme in Thrissur that directions had been issued to provide them a house and bear their educational expenses. The government will ensure their protection, he added.
The handling of the case by the Neyyattinkara police also came under intense scrutiny with various quarters faulting them for refusing to back down after Rajan threatened to commit suicide after dousing themselves in petrol. State Police Chief Loknath Behera instituted an inquiry and tasked District Police Chief (Thiruvananthapuram Rural) B. Asokan with the probe.
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala sought to put the blame for the couple’s death squarely on the government and the police. The police displayed an inhumane stance by refusing to delay the process despite being informed by the family that the eviction proceedings were likely to be stayed by the High Court. He demanded that the officials responsible for the incident be charged for murder.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mullappally Ramachandran and Bharatiya Janata Party president K. Surendran also demanded stringent action. MLAs K.S. Sabarinadhan, K. Ansalan, and M. Vincent were among those who visited the children at their house.
Kerala State Human Rights Commission has also directed the District Police Chief (Thiruvananthapuram Rural) to conduct a probe into the alleged lapses of the local police officials and submit his investigation report within four weeks.
In his order, commission president Antony Dominic said the police officers who dealt with such situations must strive to prevent people with hurt pride from resorting to such extreme measures, even while being constrained with their responsibility to implement court orders. The directions were issued on the basis of a complaint submitted by human rights activist Aswathy Jwala.
