Vijayan writes to Bihar CM Nitish for probe into allegations of foul play

Days after a Kerala basketball player committed suicide in Patna in Bihar, Kerala chief minister (CM) Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday wrote to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, seeking a comprehensive inquiry into the allegations of foul play into the incident.

The player’s body was found at her apartment in Patna on Tuesday and her relatives had alleged that her former railway basketball coach used to harass her and she was forced to take the extreme step due to his harassment.

Her body was brought to her native place in Kozhikode district on Thursday for cremation. Later, a suicide note, written in Malayalam, was also recovered from her flat in Patna.

“Her relatives told me that the circumstances that existed would have led to her ‘suicide.’ They have requested for a thorough probe and I request you to give directions for a comprehensive and fair investigation,” the CM said in the letter to his Bihar counterpart.

A railway employee, the 23-year-old had been working at the divisional railway manager’s office in Danapur for last six months.

Her relatives said that she had earlier filed a police compliant against the coach and later he used all opportunities to harass her. “They also said post-mortem was held even before relatives and friends reached Patna. Her friends have also given a statement to the police against the coach,”Kuttiadi MLA K P Kunahamad Kutty said.

“There are also reports that the coach allegedly grabbed her inappropriately and she reacted immediately. After she filed a complaint against the coach, he did not do anything for some time but he used all opportunities to harass her, she told her mother recently. Later, he also filed a complaint with railways saying he was attacked for questioning her continued absence during coaching sessions,” one of her relatives said.

Hailing from a poor economic background she was forced to take up job with the railways, he said, adding her skills were toned at a young age by sports division in Kannur.

She was a member of the Kerala team that won Federation Cup in 2018 and later she was recruited to railways through sports quota and appointed in the East Central Railway.