Jishnu case: Govt justifies police action in advt

Thiruvananthapuram: The LDF government Saturday came out with an advertisement justifying the police action against the mother of an engineering student, who allegedly committed suicide.

The advertisement, published in leading newspapers, said there was no evidence of police "high handedness".

Titled "Jishnu Case: What is propaganda? What is truth?", the advertisement details the steps taken by the state government in the case of Jishnu Pranoy, who was found hanging in the hostel of Thrissur-based Nehru College of Engineering in January.

The Pinarayi Vijayan government had come under cloud after police prevented and removed Jishnu's mother, Mahija and his other family members from holding a protest in front of the DGP's office here on April 5, alleging delay in booking all the accused in connection with his death.

A section of people were unleashing misleading propaganda that Mahija was dragged on the road by police, the advert said.

"But this has not happened. No media has come out with any such visuals. Instead, most of the channels had aired the visual showing police extending a hand to lift her from the road," it said.

"A probe, held by Range IG, also found no evidence of police high handedness," it said, adding a deliberate attempt was being made to create problems in the society under the cover of the "tears of a mother who lost her son".

It said the incident happened before the DGP office and the consequent incidents occurred in other parts of the state were reflections of ulterior move against the government.

The advertisement also said the state government would handle Jishnu's case efficiently and impartially.

Explaining the sequence of incidents that unfolded before the DGP's office on April 5, the government said a set of persons who joined the group of family members of Jishnu had created tension.

"Police has approached the case very seriously from the beginning itself. A special team has been formed to inquire this," it said.

A case had been registered against five persons including Nehru College group chairman P K Krishnadas in connection with Jishnu's death.

Of the five, three including Krishnadas and another college official named Sajith, also the son of former Congress minister K P Viswanathan, have been arrested.

The advertisement also stated that the government had appointed a committee to study the issues in the self-financing professional colleges to ensure that the students were not tortured mentally and physically there.

The government was committed to regulate the private managements, it added.

Meanwhile, Mahija, who is in the government Medical College hospital here after the April 5 incident, said the contents of the advertisement were "against facts."

Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy visited Mahija's daughter Avishna who is on a fast since the last three days at her home in Nadapuram in Kozhikode.

The ruling CPI(M) Friday alleged that the Congress and the BJP were trying to incite passions over the issue.