Wayanad Congress MLA Charged in DCC Treasurer's Suicide Case

Wayanad, Kerala, Oct 23 (PTI) – Police have filed a charge sheet against Congress MLA I C Balakrishnan and three other party leaders in relation to the alleged suicide of District Congress Committee (DCC) treasurer N M Vijayan and his son in Sultan Bathery. Vijayan, aged 78, and his son Jijesh, aged 38, reportedly consumed poison in December 2024. According to officials, a letter sent by Vijayan to his elder son before the incident accused Balakrishnan and others of collecting money from various individuals with the promise of securing jobs in cooperative banks under Congress control in the district. Allegedly, the leaders failed to deliver on these promises, and when those who paid demanded refunds from Vijayan, it purportedly led to his suicide. Police at Sultan Bathery have stated that a charge sheet has been filed against Balakrishnan, former DCC president N D Appachan, along with Congress leaders K K Gopinathan and P V Balachandran. The charge sheet was submitted to the Sultan Bathery Judicial First Class Magistrate. The accused are facing charges of abetment of suicide concerning the tragic deaths of Vijayan and his son. All four had previously obtained anticipatory bail. In a related development, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) last week registered a separate case against Balakrishnan. He is alleged to have accepted six lakh rupees in 2015 for arranging a job at the Sultan Bathery Primary Co-operative Agricultural and Rural Development Bank.

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