Quick action was taken in Jishnu's case: CM

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said the LDF government has taken quick action on a complaint by the family of a student of a self-financing engineering college who had committed suicide allegedly due to harassment early in January.

The Chief Minister's office, in a statement, said a direction had been given to the DGP to conduct an inquiry and file a report on the matter soon after getting the complaint of Mahitha Ashokan, mother of Jishnu, the first year B-tech student of Nehru College of Engineering at Pambadi in Thrissur on January 9.

The investigation on the issue is progressing, CMO said.

The clarification comes in the wake of an open letter by the mother of the deceased that the government was not showing keen interest to investigate the death of her son.

She regretted that CM had not even called the bereaved family to console them.

CMO also said the government had taken very favourable approach towards the family of Jishnu.

The cabinet meeting, held just five days after the incident, had sanctioned Rs 10 lakh as financial aid to the family, it said adding that the amount was handed over to the family by the Excise Minister TP Ramakrishnan itself.

Eighteen-year-old Jishnu was found hanging in the hostel bathroom.

Students had alleged that college authorities had harassed him after he was caught for copying in an examination.

The incident had also sparked widespread protest in the state.