Outrage in Kerala as jobless youngster commits suicide

Ashraf Padanna, Correspondent

Youth wings of opposition parties in Kerala intensified their stir against alleged job scam after a 28-year-old applicant hanged himself after losing all hope.

In the suicide note, Anu Nair, who lived in a small town on the outskirt of the capital city here, said he was taking the extreme step unable to bear the state of being joblessness.

He had qualified in a test of the Kerala Public Service Commission with a high rank, but the public recruiter cancelled that list last week saying it’s outdated.

The Youth Congress and ABVP, the feeder outfit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are already on the warpath against the decision.

The suicide provoked them to take to the streets again, violating restrictions imposed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic fast spreading in the district.

They alleged that family members of the ruling politicians and their loved ones were getting government jobs through backdoors keeping the rank lists at bay.

“The decision has left some 4.5 million jobless youngsters in the state in a deep depression,” former chief minister Oommen Chandy said in a statement.

“Manu is a scapegoat of the government’s nepotism and wrong policies. Now people close to those in power are grabbing all government jobs throwing merit into winds.”

The man had qualified to be appointed as civil excise officer with 77th rank three years back. Those ranked up to 72 on the list got jobs before the PSC scrapped it.

Leader of the opposition, Ramesh Chennithala, who visited his home, said he completed his undergraduate studies working as a labourer.

“His family lives in a small plot of one cent. His father told me that the entire family had a lot of expectations from him as his younger son is also jobless,” he said.

“The young man was sure he’d get a job if the list remained valid as there were 94 vacancies for the post.”

A group of young activists protested when local legislator CK Hareendran, who belonged to the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) visited the house.

They shouted that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was controlling the appointments as the police chased them away.

The suicide note read, “I am fed up with life, I can’t smile and act in front of anyone. The reason for everything is I am unemployed.”

Congress party’s state chief Mullappally Ramachandran wanted the chief minister and the PSC chairman charged for abetting suicide.