As the family of NRI businessman Parayil Sajan, who committed suicide on June 18, has alleged that he ended his life after the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-ruled Anthoor municipality denied the mandatory permission to his newly constructed multi-crore convention centre at Bakkalam here, the Kannur party leadership is seeking to blame municipal officials for the delay in issuing the permits.
CPI(M) district secretary M.V. Jayarajan, who visited the bereaved family on Thursday along with party leaders P. Jayarajan and P.K. Sreemathy, said the municipal officials were responsible for the delay in issuing the permits for Sajan’s Partha Convention Centre. Anthoor municipal chairperson P.K. Shyamala, wife of senior CPI(M) leader M.V. Govindan, had already said his applications for the permits had been handled by municipal officials. Minister for Local Self-Government A.C. Moideen announced in Thiruvananthapuram that four officials of the municipality were placed under suspension pending inquiry.
Against chairperson
Efforts to blame the municipal officials are being made in the wake of the allegation by Sajan’s family that Ms. Shyamala had deliberately created issues, delaying the issuance of permits. A CPI(M) sympathiser, Sajan had tried to get the permits with the help of Mr. P. Jayarajan. Sources close to the family said the chairperson had been bent on creating problems even after Sajan rectified the problems raised by the officials.
Meanwhile, the Congress demanded that the municipal chairperson and the secretary be charged with murder. Inaugurating a party workers’ march to the municipality office on Thursday, District Congress Committtee president Satheeshan Pacheni said it was learnt that Sajan had left a suicide note in which he had mentioned the names of the municipal authorities and officials.
