A pall of gloom descended on Arisipalayam area in the heart of Salem city — where the house of Jeevanantham Muthukrishnan, a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University who allegedly committed suicide in New Delhi on Monday evening — is situated.
Heart-rending scenes were witnessed at the house where the grief-stricken relatives, including the victim’s mother and three sisters, were weeping and wailing at the untimely demise of Muthukrishnan.
His father Jeevanantham, employed as a watchman in a private hospital, has already reached New Delhi for completing the post-mortem formalities and bringing the body here.
A large number of relatives and friends who made a beeline to the house, situated in Pavendar Street, Arisipalayam, right from the break of dawn, paid floral tributes to the portrait of Muthukrishnan.
‘A bright student’
All of them expressed anguish at his sudden demise. Muthukrishnan’s mother Alamelu, a daily-wage earner, told journalists that her son was not a coward to commit suicide. “He was a bright student from the very beginning and continued his higher education for building a bright future to help the family come out of the red. He has become a victim of caste-based discrimination prevailing in the educational institutions in the country,” she alleged.
Ms. Alamelu demanded an impartial probe to bring the facts behind the “mysterious” death of her son to light. “He spoke to me over phone frequently and even during the last chat, he was cheerful and did not show any sign of anxiety. He also did not face any problem on the domestic front,” she said.
J. Kalaivani, his elder sister and a school teacher, said that he was a bright student and was also good at composing poems. “He was very bold in all aspects and we shudder to think that he had ended his life in such a manner,” she added.
Request to State govt.
Muthukrishnan’s neighbours described him as a ‘go-getter’ who always had a smile on his face. “He was a helpful person and always offered help to anyone who approached him.”
Ms. Alamelu presented a petition to the District Collector, seeking the State government’s assistance in bringing his body to Salem. “My family lives in penury and have no money to meet the expenses involved in bringing the body. The State government should come to our rescue,” she said in the petition, which was handed over to tahsildar Lenin, who visited the bereaved in the small hours of Tuesday.
The victim’s mother urged the State government to exert pressure on the Centre for a fair probe into her son’s death.
M. Maravarman, Assistant Professor of History, Presidency College, and mentor of Muthukrishnan for five years while he was pursuing BA and MA courses at the Government Arts College, Salem, was shocked beyond words. “The dream of a Dalit who wanted to become a renowned teacher has come to an abrupt end in a tragic way,” he told The Hindu over phone, his voice choked with emotion.
Meanwhile, representatives of various political parties visited the residence of the deceased and consoled Ms. Alamelu and other relatives. DMK MLA R. Rajendran handed over a cheque of ₹1 lakh on behalf of his party to Ms. Alamelu.
