A family's five day old hunger strike to ensure justice for their son Jishnu Pranoy, an engineering student who allegedly committed suicide at his Nehru College hostel room in Pampady, Kerala has finally ended following the intervention of the Pinarayi-led government.
Jishnu's mother Mahija and family members were on a hunger strike since April 5 alleging inaction by Kerala police. They claimed that Jishnu was tortured which forced him to take the extreme step.
The truce was reached after the Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan spoke to Mahija on phone and the ensuring discussions mediated by the special prosecutor CP Udayabanu on behalf of the government. In their appeal to the government, the family has also demanded action against the police personnel who harassed them during a protest march staged on April 5 outside the police headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.
Jishnu, an 18-year-old first semester student was found hanging in the bathroom of the college hostel in January this year. His parents and friends allege that he took the extreme step following repeated harassment by the college authorities after he was caught copying in a semester examination. The college authorities however contend he was merely warned and informed of the implications of his actions.
The Kerala police on their part had registered a case against five accused, including P Krishna Das, the Chairman of the College. Although Krishna Das and Sanjith Viswanathan, the Public Relations Officer was amongst the arrested, they were released after a round of interrogation having secured anticipatory bails. The other accused, N K Sakthivel, Vice Principal, Assistant Professors, C P Praveen and Dipin, have been absconding since then. On Sunday, April 9, the police managed to nab Sakthivel with the help of the Tamil Nadu police from a relative's farmhouse at Annur near Coimbatore following sustained public pressure.
