It was a Sunday they could have spent with family or friends, but thousands of people from the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram and other districts chose to throng the streets in support of a young man named Sreejith.
Sreejith has been sitting outside the Kerala Secretariat for 765 days asking for justice for his younger brother Sreejeev who died in May 2014. Sreejeev who had been arrested by the police for an alleged theft had died of poisoning.
Sreejith believes his brother died of custodial torture, an allegation that was proven right in an inquiry by the Police Complaints Authority in Kerala
Sreejith’s struggle has touched the collective conscience of Kerala society, driving people to the streets. While the young and old from various walks of life reached Kerala secretariat on Sunday morning, there were celebrities too who have spoken up for Sreejith.
Actor Nivin Pauly was one of the first who voiced support for Sreejith. On Sunday, actor Tovino Thomas reached the Secretariat and sat with Sreejith, showing his solidarity.
“Most of Malayali society including me had ignored Sreejth’s struggle. I felt that I should come here and not just put a post on Facebook. I am not part of any political party; my politics is to do with humanity,” Tovino said in a Facebook live.
“I don’t know who committed this crime, but I hope that the courts will confer the punishment they deserve. I can understand Sreejith’s pain. I have a brother and I won’t sit quiet if anyone touches him,” the actor said.
On Sunday evening, actor Prithviraj wrote on Facebook about Sreejith.
“Sreejith- You singlehandedly represent the most valuable human faculty of modern times. One that we are fast losing..and one that we have ceased to respect. The quest for the truth, the refusal to settle for the compromise that’s a lie! You may be doing this for your brother, for your family, for yourself. But what you have become through the course of the last 2 years is an embodiment of hope...for a whole generation who’s forgotten the merit of peaceful protest, the eloquence of silence, the power of one. Thank you brother for touching the collective conscience of the world around you. May you know the truth you’re seeking, may you get the justice you deserve and may you find the peace that eludes you!,” the actor wrote.