CPI(M) all set to hand over keys to a house built for Abhimanyu’s family

On January 14, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will hand over the keys to a brand new house built in Thodupuzha, Idukki, for the family of Abhimanyu, an SFI activist  from Maharaja's College. 

 

The house, built over several months and fully funded by the CPI(M) to honour Abhimanyu , is 1256 square feet in size and sits on 10 cents of land purchased by the party for this purpose. With 3 bedrooms, a living area and a dining room, the house is located in Vattavada Kottakambur, Abhimanyu’s native place in Idukki. Currently, the family consisting of Abhimanyu’s mother, father, brother and sister are residing in a one bedroom house in Kottakambur, 500 metres from their new house, according to reports. 

 

Abhimanyu, a 20-year-old SFI activist (student wing of CPI-M) who was studying in Maharaja’s college was stabbed to death by Campus Front of India members in June 2018. His death, which was the result of a clash with Campus Front workers over who gets to paints the college walls to welcome the new batch of students, shocked the entire state. Following this, the police organised a massive clamp down on Campus Front, with several workers taken into custody from different districts of Kerala. The party swore to take care of Abhimanyu’s family and organised a door-to-door collection drive to buy land and build a house for Abhimanyu’s kin.

 

While the government and party's compassionate act to Abhimanyu's family has received appreciation, their attitude towards another victim, Sanal Kumar, has drawn much flak.

 

In the case of Sanal Kumar, a 32-year-old electrician from Neyyattinkara who died after an altercation with a senior police officer in November, the government delayed offering compensation to Sanal’s wife Viji and children for over a month. Sanal’s funeral was attended by two cabinet ministers who promised the family a compensation. However, no money was offered following this promise.

 

In a desperate attempt to catch the attention of the Chief Minister, Sanal’s wife sat on a 22-day-long protest before the secretariat in December to plead for the compensation. It was only after the CSI church intervened in the issue and held a discussion with the Chief Minister’s office that a compensation of Rs 15 lakhs was announced on January 1 by the Chief Minister during the assembly session.