Former Home Guard commits suicide

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Home Guard, who was recently relieved from duty, committed suicide in his house at Kallikadu near Kattakada. Shajiv, 47, of Kallikadu, was found dead after consuming poison at his house on Thursday morning. According to the police, Shajiv had worked as Special Police Officer at the Fort police station for two months when the policemen were sent on Sabarimala duty. When they returned, the services of Home Guards, including Shajiv, were terminated. Besides, their salaries were also not distributed. Shajiv was under severe financial constraints as he had to support his eldest daughter who was pursuing her graduation in management. The police recovered a suicide note from his body requesting his relatives to show his corpse to the Chief Minister.  Later, when the body was to be taken to the Medical College Hospital for autopsy, the police intervened and prompted the relatives and friends to shift the body to Neyyatinkara Hospital.  The public protested against this and finally the police agreed to shift the body to the Medical College Hospital. When the body was being taken to the Cliff House by the CPM activists, the police blocked the ambulance. The body was later taken to Kallikadu. Shajiv is survived by wife Sudha and daughters Sudhi and Beena. Meanwhile, the other Home Guards who were also deprived of their salaries decided to launch an agitation in front of the Secretariat on Friday. The CPM leaders announced that they would provide moral support to the agitation.