CHALAKKUDY: With the toxicology report confirming pesticide and methanol content in the body of the late actor Kalabhavan Mani, his family has stepped up the demand for a comprehensive probe to investigate the role of his friends who were at the ‘Pady’ (outhouse) on the fateful night of March 4. “I have filed a complaint with the investigation officials. They are waiting for the toxicology report. I have my doubts about Mani’s friends who were at the outhouse on the fateful day. Even if there was no poison in his body, the friends who let my brother drink while knowing that he was afflicted with serious liver disease should be held accountable” said Mani’s brother, R L V Ramakrishnan.
He had earlier singled out three of his brother’s closest friends and helpers, Arun, Vipin and Murugan, into the death of the actor. The police detained the trio on Friday.
‘Mani Used Only Beer’
“He only used to drink beer. The friends who took him to the hospital had informed us only on Saturday night. We have also received information that three of his friends had cleaned the ‘pady’ later in the day, a damning evidence by itself.
His friends did not stay with him at the hospital or attend the funeral.
He really wanted to quit drinking, and he would go into abstention for months at a stretch, but his friends always reeled him back in,” said Kalabhavan Mani’s nephew, Sajith.
Version of Mani’s Manager
According to Mani’s manager Joby Sebastian, he had received a missed call around 8.30 am next day from one of the detained trio. He later came to know that the actor had spat up blood. “We rushed him to nearby Safal Hospital and called up one of his friends, Dr Sumesh of Alappuzha Medical College. Later, we took him to Amrita Hospital around 2.30 pm after much persuasion. Then we informed his family. Mani was shifted to the ICU based on the endoscopy results. The doctors said they had identified three chemicals including methyl alchohol in his body. His wife and family, who arrived at the hospital, had to sign a statement that the family had no knowledge of how the poison crept into Mani’s body. Mani had to undergo dialysis on Sunday morning to save his kidneys from the acid content in the body,” said Joby Sebastian.