THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The man who threatened to commit suicide in front of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in New Delhi on Saturday is the person who threatened to do the same after climbing a tree in front of the Secretariat two years ago.A native of Chettikulangara in Alappuzha district, 42-year-old Vimal Raj was also seen emotionally disturbed when the police took him into custody after bringing him down from the tree on January 6, 2016.
He had climbed up the tree seeking help from the government for a job and also protesting an alleged lack of response to his pleas for help through a self-employment scheme.His demands included a direct assurance from the Chief Minister.The fire force and police had managed to bring him down after an hour-long talk promising action. The Cantonment police had also registered a case against him for a suicide attempt. However, he was let off by the court after he had shown signs of mental instability, said police officers.
According to Cantonment CI M Prasad, Raj lost his job after he suffered some illness. Later, he demanded the state to give him at least two cows as part of the government’s self-employment generation scheme.“The police and fire force had to talk to him for more than an hour to bring him down from the tree. He was brought down after fire force tied a rope on his hip,” said Prasad.Raj has been working in New Delhi for the past few months and made similar demands in the CM’s presence.
CPM demands probe into security breach
T’Puram:The CPM has alleged major security breach in the incident where a knife-wielding man charged to the Chief Minister’s room at Kerala House in Delhi. Terming the incident highly serious, CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has urged the Centre to probe into the security lapse. Kodiyeri pointed out that the security at Kerala House is being managed by the Delhi Police under the Union Government.
“It is a major lapse in the security arrangements by the Delhi Police that led to the person reaching near the Chief Minister’s room,” Kodiyeri said in a statement. The CPM state chief further alleged the Delhi Police made no attempt to rein in the suspected attacker or tried to take him into custody while he was wielding the knife. It was the Kerala Police commandos with the Chief Minister who restrained him, Kodiyeri said while urgingthe Union Government to conduct an investigationinto the security failure.