The family members of MP Joseph alias Joy, a building contractor in Cherupuzha in Kannur who died a week ago, have alleged foul play in his death and have sought a police probe into the same.
The family has alleged that it was not possible for Joy to take his own life and the injuries on his body have caused them to believe that it was not suicide.
Eleven days ago, Joy was found dead on the terrace of K Karunakaran memorial hospital. Joy was the contractor of the hospital. A trust board in the name of the late K Karunakaran, a doyen of the Congress in the state, owns the hospital. Joy’s family has alleged that the trust, which also has several Congress leaders from Kannur as the board members, owed Joy Rs 1.34 crore.
“Joy was known as the sculptor of Cherupuzha town. He built almost all the buildings in Cherupuzha. The trust owes him Rs 1.34 crore. The financial burden and the inability to repay people from whom he bought the materials for the construction had put him under severe stress. Every time he approached the board members for his payment, they would ask him to come some other time,” Rajan Sebastian, Joy’s brother-in-law told TNM.
Kunjukrishnan Nair, Roshy Jose, TV Saleem Kasargode and Tomy Palachery are among the functionaries of the trust.
On September 5, Joy had stepped out of his home with his younger son, Appukuttan. He then forced Appukuttan to go back home, telling him that he would come back soon. However, Joy didn’t come back and a search for him by his family members went in vain. On September 6, Joy’s body was found on the terrace of the hospital building.
“There were three injuries on the body and he was found sitting against the wall of the building – these two factors have made us suspicious about his death. It was on August 14 that Joy last met the trust functionaries,” Rajan said.
Martin, Joy’s elder brother, lodged a complaint with the Cherupuzha police to conduct a probe into his death. The names of Kunjukrishnan Nair, Saleem and Roshy Jose have been added to the complaint. According to reports, the complaint alleges that Joy was summoned on the promise of getting paid but was killed after the documents detailing the money owed were taken from him.
‘Preliminary probe points to suicide’
Meanwhile, a preliminary probe by the team investigating the contractor’s death has found that the death was a case of suicide.
Mahesh Nair, the Station House Officer at Cherupuzha police station, told TNM that there was an injury on Joy’s wrist which could be a result of attempted suicide.
“The clothes on the body were intact and there were no symptoms of any scuffle. We have recovered some documents from him about the financial deals with the trust functionaries. But there were no documents that could lead him to take his life," he said.
The police have also noted the statements of the family members and from some of the trust functionaries as well.
"In the statement, the functionaries – Saleem and Kunjikrishnan Nair – said that they had decided to pay him the dues after verifying the documents. However, the family members are sceptical as Joy had left home a happy person," the officer added.
Congress begins internal probe
Kannur district Committee President Satheesan Pacheni told TNM that Congress does not have a direct connection with the trust. KPCC has also begun a probe into the incident.
“The trust was formed by a group of leaders who were close to K Karunakaran. If any party worker is found guilty in the probe, action will be taken against them. The party on September 6 itself had told the family that Joy’s debt burden would be borne by the party. The first instalment of the amount was handed over to the family on Saturday,” he said.