Rahul Gandhi Demands Probe Into Tribal Man's Death; Writes To Kerala CM

Senior Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi has sent a letter to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking a probe into the circumstances surrounding the death of a tribal man in the state recently.

He wanted the state government to order an impartial enquiry regarding the lapses, if any, in the present police investigation related to the death of Vishwanathan (46), who was found hanging near Kozhikode medical college. 

In the letter, Gandhi also requested the CM to grant the man's family ex-gratia compensation and a job for one of its members on humanitarian grounds. The man was found hanging near the medical college hospital at Kozhikode on February 11, where his wife was admitted for delivery.

"I request you to kindly initiate a probe into the circumstances surrounding the death of Vishwanathan and order an impartial enquiry regarding the lapses in investigation, if any," he said.

Gandhi, who had reached his constituency early this week, visited the house of  the tribal man in Wayanad and consoled his family members, who alleged it was not a case of suicide and there were injury marks on his body.

They had claimed that Vishwanathan was attacked by a mob, accusing him of stealing. The Congress leader, in the letter, explained that the man was found hanging just a few days after welcoming his first child and what was meant to be a joyous occasion for the family has turned into a life-long tragedy. 

"I met Vishwanathan's distraught family, and they have demanded a detailed investigation into the matter. They also requested for a re-postmortem. They expressed their anguish regarding the hurry with which the post-mortem was conducted," he said.

Gandhi pointed out that his family had rejected the police report which states that Vishwanathan died by suicide and suspect foul play in the matter. The tribal man's family, especially his new-born child, deserves justice, he added.