Cong MLA, 3 others booked for abetment of party worker's suicide: Police

Wayanad: Congress MLA I C Balakrishnan, Wayanad DCC president N D Appachan and two others have been booked for abetment to suicide of the party’s Wayanad district office-bearer N M Vijayan, police said on Thursday.

A senior police officer of the district confirmed that the section of abetment of suicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been added to the FIR in connection with the death of Vijayan, the Wayanad District Congress Committee (DCC) treasurer, and his son.

The officer also confirmed that Balakrishnan, Appachan and two others, who were mentioned in Vijayan’s suicide note, have been named as accused in the case.

“The action was taken based on Vijayan’s suicide note,” the officer said.

Reacting to the development, Appachan told reporters here that Vijayan never told him what was happening and he was now being implicated in the case as his name was mentioned in the note.

“I have never taken money from anyone. I do not have a lot of assets. I have lived an honest life. I will face the case legally. I have no other option,” he said.

He also said that the party was with Vijayan’s family.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan, said the law can take its own course and the party was not against that.

“But, the party will also carry out an internal investigation. That is our right. We have to know what actually happened and whether the allegations are true. Based on the party investigation, a decision will be taken.

“It has nothing to do with the police probe. The police have registered a case and therefore, let the law take its own course. We have not said anything against the FIR being filed,” he told reporters at Thiruvananthapuram.

He claimed that when such issues occur in the CPI(M), only an internal probe is carried out and there is no police investigation.

Satheesan further said that he personally knew Vijayan, but the Wayanad DCC treasurer never told him the things mentioned in his letter.

“Even Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran was not aware of the details. If we had known, we would have intervened immediately,” he said.

He further said that the party was only thinking of how to help Vijayan’s family.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) claimed that the Congress was aware of the problems being faced by Vijayan which led to him and his son committing suicide.

“A proper investigation of the matter is necessary and it is what the people of the state want,” CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.

He also claimed that Sudhakaran and Satheesan insulted Vijayan’s family following his death.

Seventy-eight-year-old Vijayan and his son Jijesh, 38, died at Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital on December 27, 2024 after attempting suicide.

The incident has triggered a political controversy, with the ruling CPI(M) alleging that a cooperative bank job scam involving Balakrishnan pushed the duo to take such drastic action.

Allegations have surfaced that Vijayan, in his capacity as a party office-bearer, accepted money from individuals seeking jobs at a Congress-controlled cooperative bank, reportedly under the direction of Balakrishnan.