Kozhikode: Jishnu’s sister Avishna called off her hunger strike in the wake of the talks between Jishnu’s relatives and the government-designated special public prosecutor C.P Udayabhanu in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday night. She was on the fifth day of her hunger strike on Sunday. Her relatives and neighbours at Valayam were glued to the TV on Sunday to know the outcome of the talks in the state capital. Avishna’s health was sinking and she was on IV fluid drips under the watch of a medical team from Nadapuram. Another ten relatives and neighbours too were on fast in solidarity with Avishna and mother Mahija, who was also fasting in Thiruvananthapuram till Sunday night.
The relatives and neighbours include CPM workers in and around Valayam but they say that they protested in the capacity of Jishnu’s kin and not as party workers. When Mahija and others set off to Thiruvananthapuram, it was the local CPM members who had garlanded them and sent them off. Later, after the ruckus in front of the DGP office, the local CPM leadership was in a fix, unable to openly support the family. But all the local residents who happen to be party workers and supporters were with the family so party leaders remained passive.
The CPM held a rally at Valayam hailing the government in ending the strike and arresting Nehru College Vice Principal N.K Shaktivel. Jishnu’s house at Kallunira continued to be a hotspot of high-profile visits, including that of BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan, CMP leader C.P. John, film director Rajasenan and actor-director Joy Mathew. Speaking to reporters, Joy Mathew expressed surprise over the silence of cultural leaders. “They might have a fear of losing awards,” he ridiculed them.
