Wayanad: Sulthan Bathery police have registered a case against MLA IC Balakrishnan, Wayanad DCC President ND Appachan, former DCC Treasurer KK Gopinathan, and the late DCC President PV Balachandran for abetment to suicide in connection with the cooperative bank recruitment bribery case. The case follows the suicide of DCC Treasurer NM Vijayan, who left behind a note stating that if anything happened to him, these four leaders would be responsible.

Earlier, police have filed two cases against five Congress leaders, including the late N M Vijayan, on charges of cheating and fraud.The suicide notes reportedly written by Vijayan to party leadership hold  IC Balakrishnan, a former DCC president,  ND Appachan,  KK Gopinathan and late PV Balachandran responsible for the debts he had piled up. The letter also indicated that these leaders had received huge sums of money from him, which several job aspirants paid as bribes for employment at various cooperative banks ruled by the Congress in Wayanad.

Family members of Vijayan, who was found dead along with his son recently, had handed over his suicide letter to the Congress leadership. The letter, reportedly addressed to KPCC chief K Sudhakaran days before the incident, names Balakrishnan and Appachan, and allegedly held them responsible for Vijayan's financial crisis. The letter also revealed that, despite facing immense financial liabilities, no support was extended to Vijayan, and the KPCC leadership was fully aware of the situation. It further alleged that Appachan and Balakrishnan had instructed him to collect money from job aspirants. The family of the deceased reportedly released the letter 10 days after his death, indicating that Vijayan had been in severe financial distress.

Responding to the controversy, Balakrishnan demanded a thorough investigation into the letter, asserting that he was willing to face any inquiry. "If I am guilty, I am ready to accept any punishment. However, there must be an impartial investigation," he said.

Vijayan, 78, a former president of Sultan Bathery, and his son Jijesh, 38, succumbed at Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital on December 27 after attempting suicide. The incident has triggered a political controversy, with the ruling CPM alleging that a cooperative bank job scam involving Balakrishnan pushed the duo to take such drastic action.

Allegations have surfaced that Vijayan, in his capacity as a party office-bearer, accepted money from individuals seeking jobs at a Congress-controlled cooperative bank, reportedly under the direction of Balakrishnan.