Babu’s wife and children are devastated at their house in Kollam Kuripuzha West Valiya Kavi. It is alleged that Babu took his own life following the suggestion of the corporation officials to move the tea stall, which was a source of livelihood, from the roadside. Even after Babu’s funeral, the family is left alone, and many unanswered questions remain, including the threat of confiscation of the house.
The box store was next to the house. Babu and his wife Sudharma used to make tea and oil bars in the shop which was open only from 3 to 7 in the evening. The neighbor had filed a complaint demanding that the shop be shifted from there. Then the corporation officials reached the spot and conducted an inspection and asked the shop to vacate. Babu had asked them to allow the business to continue.
The family says that there was a dispute with the neighbor over the continuation of the business and they beat up Babu. The family’s complaint is that Babu, who was running a business, was insulted and physically harmed when he begged to be allowed to live. Babu committed suicide on 28th due to pressure from the officials for not leaving the shop.
Babu, who was an expatriate, returned to the country due to illness. Due to this, bank payments stopped. The house was threatened with foreclosure. His wife, Sudharma, who is partially blind, sold potichor at the railway station and other places to carry the family forward.
It was disabled due to physical disabilities. As a last resort, the box store was started near the house. Sudharma and her two daughters are at a loss as to how to proceed with Babu’s suicide. The family is planning to file a complaint with the commissioner demanding a detailed investigation. At the same time, the corporation explained that there was no pressure to vacate the shop and a delay was given.
The mistake we made was not filing a complaint on the day we were beaten up by our neighbours. Shouldn’t we live here and not go to fight? When they called many people, the pressure to vacate the shop intensified.
Sudharma, Babu’s wife