Local Congress leader’s ‘suicide’ amid claims of factionalism, false cases rattles party unit in Kerala’s Wayanad

His death comes just days after another local Congress leader’s arrest and subsequent release laid bare the issue of factionalism in the party unit in Wayanad — the Lok Sabha constituency represented by AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Kanattumalayail Thankachan, 57, was arrested and spent 17 days in judicial custody after explosives and a cache of liquor not meant to be sold in Kerala was allegedly seized from his possession. Last Sunday, he got a reprieve after a reinvestigation by police found he was framed in the case.

Emerging from jail, Thankachan alleged that Congress Wayanad District Committee president N D Appachan and others, including Nelledam, were behind falsely implicating him in the case. Thankachan had told the media that he was framed as a result of factionalism within the Congress in Wayanad.

Police had earlier questioned Nelledam in connection with the reinvestigation into the recovery of explosives and liquor.

Sulthan Bathery DySP Abdul Rasheed on Friday said Nelledam had been questioned in connection with the incident, but was not listed as an accused. His death is under investigation, the officer said.

Congress Wayanad district president Appachan said Nelledam was a victim of a malicious campaign unleashed by the CPI(M) after Thankachan’s release. “He (Thankachan) has been raising allegations against me and others, including Jose, in the recovery of explosives. The person now arrested in that case has no links with Congress. But Thankachan is accusing leaders of conspiracy. Today, we are going to report the matter to the party’s state leadership. The party will take action against Thankachan for raising false allegations,” Appachan said.

Nelledam’s death comes on the day that Priyanka Gandhi began her two-day tour of the constituency.

In December last year, former Congress Wayanad district treasurer N M Vijayan and his son Jijesh had died by suicide, allegedly in connection with a 2019 cash-for-jobs scam in cooperative banks. Congress’s Sulthan Bathery MLA, I C Balakrishnan, district Congress president Appachan, former Wayanad district Congress president, late P V Balachandran, and former district treasurer K K Gopinathan had been booked for allegedly abetting the suicides. The family of the victims had alleged at the time that the money collected from job aspirants had been shared with senior leaders in the party.

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