The dispute over the suicide of VT Shijo, allegedly about the long -term delay in the payment of the salary of his wife, on Tuesday further deepened both with the school authorities and the Ministry of Education.
George Joseph, High School Manager of St. Joseph in Naranamuzhi, where Shijo’s wife Lekha is employed, said on Tuesday that he repeatedly accepted the matter with the District Educational Office (DEO), even personally accompanied the family to solve the problem. Despite the submission of all the necessary documents, he had long since argued that officials had intentionally detained the files.
“Even after the intervention of the Minister of Education and the clear directive of the Supreme Court, officials remained immobile. They always quoted the lack of proper authentication as an apology to stop payout,” Joseph said.
He accused the delay of bureaucratic bureaucracy within the educational department and claimed that even the cost of the Minister was ignored, despite the long -term ties of the family with CPI (m).
Lekha joined school in 2012, but her salary has been detained for years due to a legal dispute concerning another applicant for its position. Although the High Court ruled in its favor and ordered its salary and benefits to be paid over the past 14 years, the direction must still be carried out.
After suicide, three officials from Pathanamitta Deo were suspended until the department’s investigation. They were identified as NG Anilkucar (PA on Deo), S. Firoz (Superintendent) and R. Bini (Section Clerk). However, Shijo’s family indicated that further legal steps would be launched, claiming that mere suspension was not enough and the responsible negligence of the Ministry could not be responsible for his death.
Officials have already denied the charges and stated that it is the duty of the school to generate an arrears law. Officials also claimed that Lekha had begun to receive regular salaries since February 2025, including the last July payment.
Minister of Education V. Sivankutty intervened in this matter and secured strict negotiations against those who were considered responsible as a delay that allegedly led to Shijo’s death.
Officials have now collected a new application from the school and quoted incomplete documentation as a reason for continuing delay. Shijo, who worked as a terrain worker in the Council for Promotion of Vegetables and Fruits Keralam (VFPCK), was found in Sunday evening in the Moongampar forest hanging.
According to family members, Shijo was under immense financial voltage after failed to secure a fee required for accepting his son to an engineering university in Erode, Tamil over
Published – 5th August 2025 17:46
