KOLLAM: Former State Information Commissioner and CPI leader Sony B Thengamom passed away at a private hospital in Punalur here on Sunday. He was 55 years old and was undergoing treatment for multiple sclerosis. Son of CPI leader and MLA the late Thengamom Balakrishnan, Sony had been admitted to Gandhi Bhavan, a home for the destitute at Pathanapuram, a few months ago. According to relatives, his family comprising wife Sheeja (who is in judicial service) and three-year-old Anupama had found it difficult to provide necessary care to him as the ailment had left him bedridden. The ailment had severely impeded his speech.
Following the footsteps of his father, Sony had entered politics during his college days. He had served as national general secretary of AISF and AIYF. For 16 years, Sony’s political activities were centred in Delhi. On his return to the state, he served as CPI’s Kollam assistant district secretary and was later appointed as the State Information Commissioner by the V S Achuthanandan government.