Jishnu family ends fast after Kerala CM’S assurance

THE FAMILY of engineering student Jishnu Prannoy, who was found dead in his hostel room, ended their indefinite hunger strike on Sunday night following an assurance from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that action will be taken against police officials who allegedly manhandled Prannoy’s mother and others outside the state police headquarters last Wednesday.

In another development, the police arrested K N Sakthivel, vice-principal of Nehru College of Engineering, Thrissur, where Prannoy studied. Sakthivel is the third accused in the case related to abetting the suicide of Prannoy.

Prannoy’s family has been seeking justice for their son ever since he was found dead in his hostel room in January.

On Wednesday, his mother K K Mahija and others went to the police headquarters where they planned to launch a hungerstrike, demanding the arrest of Nehru College staff involved in Prannoy’s death. But they met with alleged police highhandedness, triggering widespread protests.

Since then, Mahija and other family members of Prannoy were on a hungerstrike at the medical college hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, putting the government under immense pressure. Vijayan had then ruled out action against police officials. Although ruling alliance partner CPI sought a climbdown on the part of the government, the Chief Minister stuck to his position. On Saturday, the government also issued an advertisement in newspapers, justifying its stand.

On Sunday, state Attorney General K V Sohan and Special Public Prosecutor C P Udayabhanu held discussions with Mahija.

In the meantime, the Chief Minister assured Mahija that action would be taken against the police officials.

After Mahija ended the hunger strike, her daughter Avishna too called off her fast, which she had been observing at her home in Kozhikode.