Kerala Hummer case: Security guard left behind a family in despair // Political parties maintain silence - are they helping the murderer?
For K Chandrabose, the security guard who died as a victim of tobacco tycoon Muhammed Nisham’s unparalleled bestiality and megalomania, it was the first and last journey on Tuesday evening to his renovated house at five cents of land. Chandrabose, who was hit by hummer SUV by Nisham for a slight delay in opening the gate of Soba City in Thrissur, had died on Monday after 18 days of battle for life.
Addition of two rooms to his house, erected on five cents of land at Kanjani village in Thrissur, was over only a day before he was brutally attacked. He had brought the small piece of land six years back but could construct only two rooms, including kitchen. It was recently that he had managed to add two more rooms and the concreting of the roof was over only on January 28, a day before he was hit by hummer and severely thrashed with rod. While he had been on life support system in a hospital, his neighbours cleared the wooden platform erected for concrete roofing work.
“Chandrabose wanted to start living in the new rooms soon after the wooden platform was removed. Due to financial crisis, the plastering and other workers were planned later. It is really heartrending that he could not live there for a day,’’ says his relative Danesh.
Chandrabose had been struggling to keep afloat his family, comprising wife, a daily worker, and two children, both studying. His wife Jamanthi had worked in a Gulf as a house maid for two years. Before becoming a security guard at Sobha City six years back, he had toiled in many disguises; as a daily worker, painter and auto driver. He opted for the job of a guard when severe back pain made him unfit for a driver’s job. Later, Sobha City absorbed him as their company staff and assigned him with vehicle movement registry at the township’s gate.
Although earning only Rs 9,000 a month, Chandrabose was very keen on giving education to his children. His daughter Ravathi is an engineering student while son Amal Dev is a ninth standard student. Family members recall that Chandrabose had taken pride in his daughter studying in National Institute of Technology-Kozhikode, where admission is based on a national level entrance exam. With his hard-earned money, he had managed to add two more rooms to the small incomplete house mainly to facilitate the children’s education.
As Chandrabose’s meager income could not feed the family, wife Jamanthi too went for daily work, sometimes for the job guarantee scheme. Doctors at Amala Medical College in Thrissur, where the victim of hummer horror was treated, said his internal organs were severely injured in the attack. His ribs were broken at nine places and one of the broken pieces had pierced through the lungs. As he was squeezed against the wall using the hummer, his right arm had fractures at five places.
Meanwhile, Sobha Group said they would bear the entire educational expenses of the two children. Besides, the family would be given his last paid salary every month for next five years. “We have met the hospital bills and are looking for other ways to help the family,’’ company sources said.
In a disturbing trend, political parties and social organizations in Kerala have been maintaining a stoic silence over the humor horror unleashed by beedi king Muhammed Nisham. Even the social media, which had spontaneously reacted to several recent issues, turned away from any campaign or outburst, demanding justice for the victim K Chandrabose. Despite reports that senior Congress and Muslim League leaders were working out strategies to ensure safe exit for Nisham from all criminal cases, including the murder case, the silence of BJP is most conspicuous.
When asked about the party’s silence over the issue even after the death of the victim on Monday, a senior BJP leader said, “we would react after Shivaratri celebrations.’’ The approach of the Opposition CPI (M) has been almost the same over last 18 days. No CPI (M) leader has come out against Nisham over these 18 days, since the attack. But on Tuesday, CPI (M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan made a quiet reaction on his facebook page, saying that the financial sources of Nisham should be probed and he should be given deterrent punishment.’’
