A somber atmosphere turned chaotic in Thiruvananthapuram following the suspected suicide of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) municipal councillor K. Anil Kumar at his Thirumala office. The tragic incident, occurring on a Saturday, quickly escalated into a major controversy after a group of individuals, believed to be BJP activists, allegedly assaulted journalists who arrived to report on the unfolding events.
The sudden passing of Mr. Kumar has placed the local BJP district unit under considerable scrutiny. Sources close to the late councillor have reportedly suggested that his death might be connected to significant debt stemming from alleged financial mismanagement within a cooperative society where he served as a key figure.
Authorities have since moved Mr. Kumar’s body to the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital for a comprehensive post-mortem examination. Compounding the already tense situation, various news channels, citing unnamed sources, began reporting the discovery of a suicide note. This note allegedly implicates several prominent BJP leaders in Thiruvananthapuram in connection with Mr. Kumar’s death, further fueling public speculation and political uproar.
Outside Mr. Kumar’s office, a crowd of BJP workers gathered, vehemently protesting against these news reports. The demonstration quickly turned hostile as they reportedly mobbed and attacked journalists covering the incident. The ensuing melee left several media professionals, including women, with minor injuries and resulted in significant damage to their equipment, including expensive cameras.
Pradeep Kumar, a veteran photographer for the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] newspaper, Deshabhimani, described the assault as entirely “unprovoked,” highlighting the unexpected aggression faced by the press.
The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) swiftly issued a strong condemnation of the attack on media personnel. The union has announced its intention to formally petition the police, demanding a thorough investigation into the assault.
BJP Vows Internal Probe into Journalist Attack
In response to the escalating criticism, BJP district president V.V. Rajesh stated that the party would initiate its own investigation into the attack on journalists at Thirumala.
Rajesh also revealed that Mr. Kumar had reportedly shown signs of depression in the days leading up to his death. He attributed this distress to “some financial issues regarding borrowers defaulting on loan repayments” that had heavily burdened the late councillor.
The BJP president explicitly clarified that the party had no direct involvement in the operations or management of the cooperative financial institution in question.
Adding another layer to the political turmoil, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has drawn parallels between Mr. Kumar’s death and the suspected suicide of N.M. Vijayan, the District Congress Committee treasurer for Wayanad.
Vijayan’s family had previously alleged that the veteran Congress leader’s death was linked to an employment scam within a cooperative bank, purportedly involving senior Congress figures in the district.
According to his family, Vijayan accumulated a staggering debt of approximately ₹2.21 crore. This debt reportedly arose from mortgaging his personal property to repay significant amounts allegedly collected by Congress leaders who had promised employment opportunities in a local cooperative bank under the party’s influence.
Last week, Vijayan’s daughter-in-law, Padmaja, met with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, urging an inquiry into her father-in-law’s death. She publicly accused the Congress party of abandoning her family in their time of need.
This past Saturday, Padmaja further intensified her protest, threatening an indefinite sit-in outside the KPCC State headquarters, Indira Bhavan, in Thiruvananthapuram. Her demand is clear: the party leadership must honor its commitments made to the late Vijayan.
(If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out. Suicide Prevention Helpline: Disha – 1056, 0471-2552056)