Thiruvananthapuram/Kannur: Congress-led opposition staged a walkout in the state assembly on Wednesday demanding a police investigation into the suicide of NRI businessman Sajan Parayil after CPM-led Anthoor municipality delayed clearance for his community hall.
LSG minister A. C. Moideen announced two internal inquiries by the regional director of the urban affairs department and the vigilance wing under the chief town planner would look into it. Peravoor legislator Sunny Joseph sought leave for an adjournment motion to discuss the suicide, which Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan rejected after the minister's reply.
Mr Moideen said that the municipality had found some problems with the building as there were deviations from the approved plan and violations including that of a three-metre gap from the public road. He said the owners had given a written assurance that they would not use the encroa-ched space as a utility area.
He promised action aga-inst officials who caused unnecessary delays and said Mr Parayil had committed suicide for other reasons. He said that the permit request was in the name of his father-in-law Purushothaman and he had severe mental stress.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who intervened, exonerated political leadership shifting the blame on the stubbornness of officials. Though Mr Moideen had said that there was no suicide note, Mr Chennithala said there was indeed one, which had gone missing since.
He said it was the second suicide of an NRI entrepreneur after that of Sugathan, 65, near Punalur in Kollam last year.
A Gulf-returnee, he committed suicide after bullying by a local leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI) by hoisting a red flag and shutting the automobile workshop that he opened after working for 35 years in Oman.
Parayil had been working in Nigeria for around two decades, and he built the community hall with all his savings. “You are giving a wrong message to NRIs investing back home what they had earned by hard work,” he said.
He said the CPM had organised Loka Kerala Sabha, an NRI conclave, which had turned out to be a “huge white elephant” with several foreign junkets for ministers.
Wife blames chairperson Syamala for Sajan’s death
Though a section of CPM leaders including former district secretary P. Jayarajan had promised Sajan to sort out the issue, all of them failed to ensure the same, said Beena, wife of Sajan.
Addressing reporters, here, Beena said that he had been visiting mun-icipal office on a daily basis for getting the certificateissued. As they had repeatedly denied him the certificate, he was under tremendous pressure which lead him to take the extreme step, she added. Beena accused Anthoor municipality chairperson P.K. Syamala of opposing the project from day one.
Relatives alleged that many had warned Sajan against launching such a mega project in Anthoor citing the arrogant attitude of the CPM local leadership. With cordial relationship with all leaders across party barriers, Congress leader K. Sudhakaran MP also had advised him to back out from the project, say relatives.
