The suicide of a businessman, whose new auditorium was not granted ownership certificate by authorities in Kannur, created a furore in the Kerala assembly Wednesday, with the opposition UDF staging a walkout, dissatisfied with the chief minister's reply.
The 49-year-old Nigeria-returned businessman, Sajan Parayil, who had spent about Rs 16 crore for the auditorium, hanged himself at his home Tuesday, after the Anthoor municipality refused to grant the certificate for his dream project.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front raised the issue in the House. But dissatisfied with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's assurance that strong action would be taken against those responsible for denying the permission, it staged a walkout.
"This incident was unfortunate. It's a serious issue. There are certain officials with a negative approach. If the allegations raised by the Opposition are true, strong action will be taken," Vijayan said.
Congress MLA from Peravoor, Sunny Joseph, who sought permission for an adjournment motion, said the Left-ruled municipality and state government showed discrimination even as it boasted about "Ease of Doing Business".
"The idea of ease of doing business promoted by this government is a farce. Sajan's manager said he was upset for 15 days. He had invested over Rs 16 crore in this auditorium.
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"This is not a suicide, but a murder," Joseph said.
Opposition Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala asked the government what message it intended to give to the expats.
"The district town planner gave a clean chit to the plan, but still the municipality delayed permission for the auditorium. Sajan's family has alleged there was a suicide note, but there is no reference to it in the FIR. We need a proper investigation," Chennithala said.
This was the second suicide of a foreign-returnee in four months, he said.
Earlier this year, 65-year-old P Sugathan, who was abroad for over three decades, returned to his hometown in Punalur to start a workshop.
He leased a property at Elambal, procured a permit from the local body and constructed a shed on the property, spending nearly Rs three lakh.
However, further construction was delayed due to protests allegedly from CPI, following which he hanged himself inside the shed.