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Cithara Paul
Cithara Paul

KERALA

Beyond hashtags

29-kerala-sreejith-social-media Solid support: Thousands of people have visited Sreejith in solidarity | Rinkuraj Mattancheriyil

Social media takes up a young man’s fight against his brother’s custodial death

Facing the state secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram is a bronze statue of Sir Madhava Rao, the celebrated diwan of the erstwhile Travancore state. During Rao’s stint as diwan, Travancore was named the ‘model state of India’ by the British government. Today, the road from his statue to the secretariat is the main venue of protests in the state capital. Many of these protests, however, are intended only to grab media attention. Hunger strikes hardly last beyond a couple of days. But, P. Sreejith, a native of Neyyattinkara, about 20km south of Thiruvananthapuram, is proving to be an exception.

The 30-year-old has been on a hunger strike outside the secretariat for the last 767 days, seeking justice for his younger brother Sreejeev, who was allegedly tortured and killed in police custody. According to the police, Sreejeev committed suicide by consuming poison. “My brother died in front of me. I cannot forget,” said Sreejith. “How can I rest when the police officers who killed my brother are roaming around free, earning government salary? I will not move from here until a CBI inquiry is ordered.”

Sreejith did not budge even when his mother requested him to stop. “His health is deteriorating by the day. I keep reminding him that I have no one else to perform my last rites,” said Remani, his widowed mother. “But, he tells me that he prefers to die here if he fails to get justice for his brother.”

Sreejith eats only once a week. “I eat only when I feel that I am about to suffer a blackout,’’ he said. He looks emaciated and suffers from memory lapses. His appearance has changed so much in the last two years.

Sreejeev was arrested on May 19, 2014, on a complaint of theft, and two days later, he died at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. “He was arrested in the morning and the police made us sign a letter before taking him away. We never thought that it would be the last time we would be seeing him,’’ said Sreejith.

28-sreejith Sreejith with his mother, Remani | Manoj Chemancheri

Neighbours said the theft charge was a concocted one. “He had a relationship with a rich girl. Because of her family’s pressure, she agreed to marry another person. Her family wanted Sreejeev to be kept in police custody until the wedding was over, and sought the help of a policeman who was a relative,’’ said one of the neighbours. Sreejeev was allegedly tortured in custody, and after he became unconscious, the police forced him to drink poison.

The State Police Complaint Authority (SPCA), headed by former High Court judge K. Narayana Kurup, rejected the suicide theory and said Sreejeev was tortured. “It was indeed custodial death. The SPCA arrived at this conclusion after months of studies and verification,’’ said Kurup, who was the chairman of the SPCA from 2014 to 2017. The SPCA recommended departmental and criminal procedures against the police officers concerned and awarded the family a compensation of Rs 10 lakh, which was to be recovered from the accused. The accused police officers, however, managed to get the SPCA order stayed by the High Court.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front government was in power when the incident happened. Sreejith had met the then home minister Ramesh Chennithala—who is now the opposition leader—seeking CBI inquiry. But, the demand was turned down. When the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front government came to power in May 2016, Sreejith appealed to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and the family was paid a compensation of Rs 10 lakh. The accused, however, were spared.

The chief minister’s office said the Pinarayi government did not try to save the accused. “They saved their skin by managing to get protection from the High Court. We are trying everything possible to get justice for Sreejith,’’ said an official with the chief minister’s office. He said the government had written twice to the CBI to take up the case. “The CBI does not deem this case serious enough to be taken up,” he said.

While the government continues to plead helplessness, Sreejith is going ahead with his fight. All these lonely days and nights, he has been surviving just on hope, clutching an ash-coloured bag containing documents and newspaper reports about the case. He has made a few paintings as well, mostly of the Buddha. He has hung his Buddha paintings—in various shades of yellow and orange—on the walls of the secretariat and on a nearby tree.

“I have seen several struggles. But I have never seen someone like Sreejith,” said Asokan, who has been selling peanuts near the secretariat for the past 10 years. Sreejith’s perseverance has made him a celebrity on social media. His story is being told and retold across media platforms and people have started visiting him in support. There have been rallies in his support, even in far away districts like Kasaragod and Kannur. “Sreejith’s love for his brother is so inspiring. So is his perseverance,’’ said Shafin Kunnil from Kasaragod, who came with a group of friends to visit Sreejith.

Film stars, including the latest heartthrob Tovino Thomas, have come out in support. “I feel guilty that someone like Sreejith has been lying on this pavement for the last two years seeking justice. In fact, we all are culpable,’’ said Tovino, after meeting him. Others like Prithviraj and Parvathy expressed support on social media.

The surging support has surprised his mother. “I always wanted him to stop this. But seeing the kind of support my son is getting, I am overwhelmed,’’ she said. Some say this struggle is a game changer in the history of social media activism. “Those who mock the younger generation for spending time on Facebook should admit that Sreejith’s plight was brought to the fore because of social media activism,’’ said Ajith R.S., who came to visit Sreejith with a team of 15 Facebook friends.

It is indeed the social media frenzy and visits by celebrities that has forced the government to sit up and take note. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called Sreejith for a meeting on January 15 and assured him that the government would take a favourable stand if the family approached the High Court for a CBI probe. Union Minister Jitendra Singh has meanwhile assured the CBI’s intervention.

Sreejith, however, said he would continue his fight till he receives a written assurance about the probe. “I started my struggle for my brother. But now my fight is against all forms of custodial torture. I will continue my fight...,’’ he said, petting a banyan sapling he planted in a water container. The sapling, planted last year, is growing fast, just like Sreejith’s hope for justice.

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