Stir over Jishnu’s death: CM Vijayan says some tried to get political mileage

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Wednesday said “certain forces” tried to draw political mileage on the issue of recent agitation by family members of a college student over his ‘suicide.’ “Unfortunately the situation in the state was such that certain forces even use the mental condition of a grieving mother for political mileage,” he told reporters here.

Vijayan was referring to the agitation here by family members, including the mother, of Jishnu Parnoy, an engineering student of Thrissur-based Nehru College, who committed suicide in January last allegedly due to ‘harassment’ by the management of the institution.

They family launched an indefinite fast demanding justice for the student, but withdrew it on April 9 after the state government assured that all accused would be brought to book.

Initially they attempted to stage the protest in front of the state DGP’s office here on April 5, but police ‘forcibly’ removed them, with the action coming in for criticism from various quarters, including ruling LDF partner CPI.

Giving details of the steps taken in the case, Vijayan said the government had done everything possible and ‘there is nothing more a government could do’.

Questioning the purpose behind the April 5 protest, he said “There was nothing to attain through an agitation and nothing for the government to do… We can say with courage that government has done everything in the case.” On the alleged police ‘highhandedness’ in removing the family members, Vijayan said it should not have happened and action would be taken against police officials, if any lapses were found.

Referring to the probe ordered by the government into the police action, Vijayan said the investigation would reveal whether there was any conspiracy behind the planned stir in front of the DGP’s office.

On the arrest of K M Shajahan, a former personal secretary of CPI-M veteran V S Achuthanandan, in connection with the stir, Vijayan said action was taken by the police as he was a part of the agitation.

Vijayan rejected Shajahan’s charge that he was arrested due to personnel vendetta. “I have no personal enmity with him,” he added.