Kollam: Two months after Kollam Assistant Public Prosecutor S Aneeshya ended her life over alleged workplace harassment, Kerala police have invoked the charge of abetment to suicide against her boss Kollam Deputy Director of Prosecution Abdul Jalil and her junior colleague Assistant Public Prosecutor Shyam Krishna K.
The State Crime Branch altered the FIR from unnatural death to abetment of suicide under Section 306 of IPC and submitted the report to Judicial First Class Magistrate (JFCM) Court - II at Paravur on Wednesday, March 20.
Aneeshya, who served as Assistant Public Prosecutor in the same court complex, died by suicide on January 20. She left behind a 19-page note and several voice messages accusing Abdul Jalil and Shyam Krishna of harassing and humiliating her publicly and blaming them for her death.
The Crime Branch booked the accused only after Aneeshya's mother Prasanna P M approached the High Court of Kerala seeking an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into her death.
Her family said they have no confidence in the police investigation and will continue to press for a CBI investigation. "For two months, we have been asking the police to book the accused for abetment of suicide but they did not. We have presented no new evidence to change the mind of the police. Now they invoked the charges only to stall our request for a CBI investigation," said Aneeshya's family member.
A civil society group called 'Justice For Aneeshya Solidarity Collective' led by social activist P E Usha has been conducting a series of protests demanding the accused be booked and investigated. On March 8, it held a day and night protest in front of the Secretariat in the capital.
The Kerala Judicial Officers' Association -- a collective of magistrates and judges -- had also written to the High Court of Kerala and the government seeking an investigation by an IPS officer or an independent agency.
The case was initially investigated by Paravur police and later transferred to the District Crime Branch, which sought the legal opinion of Director General of Prosecution T A Shaji on how to go about the case. The opinion did not come.
Meanwhile, he asked the Deputy Director of Prosecution (headquarters) Sheeba K to conduct a fact-finding inquiry. She submitted her report on January 31. Yet, the Director General of Prosecution sat on the request for his legal opinion.
However, when Prasanna moved to the High Court, the government transferred the case to the State Crime Branch on March 11. The case is now being investigated by Crime Branch DySP Sajeev Kumar.
