Youth's suicide over unemployment triggers protests in Kerala

The suicide of youth in Thiruvananthapuram allegedly owing to unemployment triggered widespread protests in Kerala on Sunday with BJP activists agitating in front of Kerala chief minister's house with the dead body of the youth.

The incident caused embarrassment to Kerala government that faces allegations of backdoor appointments while rank lists of Kerala Public Service Commission were getting expired.

Anu, 28, son of Sukumaran of Karakonam, about 30 kilometres from the Thiruvananthapuram city, was found hanging in his house on Sunday morning. In a suicide note recovered from the house, he wrote that he took the step because of unemployment.

He had secured 77th rank in the public service commission recruitment test to the post of civil excise officer in Kerala Excise Department. But the rank list got expired in June and his hopes of extending its validity turned futile due to Covid-19 situation.

Anu's father Sukumaran said that Anu had hopes of getting the government job as he secured a higher rank, and was upset when the rank list.

As soon as the news spread, opposition political parties unleashed protest across the state alleging that government and public service commission were responsible for Anu's death.

The BJP took out a march to the official residence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan with the body of Anu. The body was taken back after government officials assured proper investigation into the circumstances that led to the death.

Two women Youth Congress workers jumped the wall of the government secretariat and staged a protest. Yuva Morcha workers staged protests against local CPM MLA C K Hareendran who visited Anu's family.

Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said at a press conference later that about 1.45 lakh candidates were given posting in the tenure of the current government.

The Excise department's delay in reporting vacancies by the public service commission was stated to be the reason for the delay in the recruitment. Police sources said a case was registered and an investigation was on.

Kerala recently witnessed a row over backdoor appointments after the gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh got a job at Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited, an agency under the IT department, through a consultancy even though she lacked the required qualification.