With the latest finding of the Crime Branch that Vadakara native Ponmeriparambil Sajeevan was a victim of police torture and culpable homicide not amounting to murder, the demand to sanction a reasonable compensation for his family has again gained strength.
Along with the local youth organisations and various political parties, the Vadakara taluk development committee has also placed its request before the State government to consider the demand immediately.
Sajeevan’s friends from Kalleri village revealed that he was the sole breadwinner of his family comprising his aged mother and her sister. “His mother was dragged into a traumatic situation after his death. There is not even a good house for her to stay in,” they said.
Communist Party of India district executive member P. Suresh Babu who raised the issue at the taluk development committee meeting on Saturday alleged that it was the laxity of the police that delayed treatment for Sajeevan. He alleged that it was a clear case of breach of duty by the police and it should be compensated with an appropriate relief measure.
There were a number of youth organisations that raised the same demand irrespective of their political affiliations. Some of the local youth organisation leaders said Sajeevan was an active face in various social service activities and sports in his village. His family survived mainly on the meagre income he generated through his daily wage work as a driver, they said.
Within a few days after the incident, Vadakara MLA K.K. Rema had also raised the same demand holding the police accountable for the death. According to her, Sajeevan’s mother and her sister were totally dependent on him and they deserved compassionate support from the government.
