Today Kerala assembly session got adjourned following the loud protest of opposition parties over the suicide of NRI businessman Sajan Pariyal in Kannur. Allegedly, he had committed suicide due to red tape and corruption of CPM local authorities.
Kerala assembly session adjourned for today after Opposition protested over the suicide of NRI businessman Sajan Parayil in Kannur. (file pic) pic.twitter.com/LwAfNdlGGg
— ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2019
48-year-old Sajan was native of Valapattanam, Kannur. As per reports, he had worked in Nigeria for a decade and had decided to start his own business back home. He had built a convention centre spending Rs 15 crore. However, after construction, the Anthoor Municipal Corporation for months had turned down his repeated requests for a building occupancy certificate.
Unable to find a way out, on 18 June he committed suicide. His wife Beena had specifically accused PK Shyamala of the harassment meted out on Sajan. Shyamala is the municipal chairperson and wife of CPM central committee member M V Govindan. Beena said, “Shyamala threatened him that he would not be able to operate the convention centre, as long as she holds the chair”.
Reports suggest that Shyamala refused to give the licence because of a personal vendetta. While constructing the convention centre the municipality ordered to stop construction citing some non-existent technical violation. They had approached higher authorities including P Jayarajan who was the district town planner after which he got an approval to build the hall. The report claims that Shyamala was irked by this and Sajan was caught in between a turf war.
The Congress-led opposition took up the opportunity to attack the ruling party, blaming them for Sajan’s death. The Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, Ramesh Chennithala, accused the ruling CPM of protecting Shyamala and taking Sajan’s suicide lightly. Shyamala had offered to resign today but the CPM hasn’t taken any action against her.
While responding to the opposition’s demand to discuss on this issue today, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, “we have already made some changes to the concept of ease of doing business and also the powers of the secretaries in the local bodies will also soon be cut, so cases like these won’t happen. In this case, once the probe results come out, none will be spared and very strong action would be coming”.
Unsatisfied with his response, Ramesh Chennithala alleged that Sajan had committed suicide due to factional feud in the ruling CPI-M at Kannur. The CPM had earlier suspended 4 Anthoor municipality officials, Ramesh had dismissed them as just being scapegoats. After Ramesh finished speaking, the opposition walked out, adjourning the House for the day.
The Kerala High Court had expressed its shock that an investor was pushed to suicide due to the insensitive attitude of the regulatory authorities. On Friday, the High Court registered a suo moto case and asked the government to submit a detailed report by July 15.
