The State government will render all assistance to secure the release of K.K. Jayachandran, a school teacher incarcerated in the Maldives for the past eight months, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said.
He gave this assurance during an interaction with Janakiamma, Jayachandran’s mother, and his children, Abhijith and Karthika, at the Kozhikode guesthouse here on Saturday. His wife, Jyothi, is in New Delhi to take up the case with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Mr. Chandy said he would summon the Consul attached to the Maldivian Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday and take up the matter with him. Steps would be taken to get Mr. Jayachandran released from ‘illegal detention.’ The Indian High Commission in the Maldives would also be apprised of the issue.
He said Ms. Jyothi and others had brought the issue to his notice several months ago. He had informed the Centre and the High Commissioner. It would be taken up again with Ms. Swaraj, he added.
The Chief Minister said he had then felt that the release was getting delayed due to the technicalities involved. Since the release was getting delayed, the government would step in urgently, he said.
Mr. Jayachandran’s sisters and members of an action committee formed in his village were also present at the guest house.
Mr. Jayachandran had been working in Faafu Feali Atoll School in the Maldives as a teacher of English.
Mr. Jayachandran’s relatives told the Chief Minister that the indifference of the Indian High Commissioner in the Maldives had worsened the situation. They were not informed when he was arrested on April 5. He was still in jail even after the complaint against him, of abusing a child in the classroom, was withdrawn eight months ago. Now, several other charges had been foisted on him.
The High Commissioner had not done anything to stop the violation of international agreements, they said. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala also assured Mr. Jayachandran’s relatives that the issue would be taken up seriously.
