The Kerala Police on Thursday booked Sulthan Bathery Congress MLA IC Balakrishnan, Wayanad District Congress Committee (DCC) president ND Appachan, and other party leaders in connection with the suicide case of former Wayanad DCC treasurer, NM Vijayan.

Charges of abetment to suicide have been filed against Congress leaders, including Balakrishnan, DCC president ND Appachan, and KK Gopinathan. The late PV Balachandran, who had previously defected from Congress to join the CPI(M), was also named in the case.

Advertisement

A special investigation team, led by Sulthan Bathery Deputy Superintendent of Police KK Abdul Shareef is handling the case. Recently, Vijayan’s family submitted letters allegedly written by Vijayan to the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) leadership and his suicide notes to the police.

The letters and suicide notes, purportedly written by NM Vijayan before his death, have implicated Congress leaders in Kerala, placing the party leadership in a difficult position. The letters reportedly accuse Sulthan Bathery Congress MLA IC Balakrishnan, DCC president Appachan, and other local Congress leaders of corruption.

Vijayan alleged that MLA Balakrishnan took bribes in exchange for offering jobs at a Congress-controlled cooperative bank in his constituency. He also claimed to have accrued significant debts due to financial dealings with Congress leaders.

On December 24, Vijayan and his son, Jijesh (38), a former employee of the Sulthan Bathery Urban Cooperative Bank, were found critically injured at their residence. They were rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode, where they succumbed to their injuries.

In his suicide note, Vijayan instructed his elder son, Vijesh, to deliver the note to Congress leaders and later to the Wayanad district police chief if the party failed to act within 10 days. Based on this letter, the Wayanad police have registered an FIR against the top Congress leaders.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) has intensified its protests, demanding the resignation of MLA IC Balakrishnan and the arrest of leaders charged with abetment to suicide.

A KPCC-appointed team investigating the controversy surrounding Vijayan’s suicide met with his family members on Wednesday. After the meeting, senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan told the media that all disputes between the family and the party had been resolved.

However, Vijesh, son of the late NM Vijayan, clarified to the media that the family remains loyal to the Congress party, stating that the party leadership has assured them of support in resolving financial issues promptly.