Coir Board employee's death: Family files plaint with Chief Secretary, State Police Chief

Kochi: The family of the deceased Coir Board employee Jolly Madhu (56) has filed a complaint with the Chief Secretary and the State Police Chief over the alleged workplace harassment. In the complaint addressed to the Chief Secretary, the family names four Board officials: Vipul Goel, J K Shukla, Prasad Kumar H, and Abraham C U.

Jolly, a section officer at the Coir Board under the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, died at a private hospital in Kochi on Monday after remaining unconscious for several days following a cerebral haemorrhage. She had been undergoing treatment after collapsing on January 31.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises under the central government ordered a probe into her death. As per the centre’s order, a three-member committee will conduct a probe and submit a report within 15 days. The probe was ordered after Jolly’s relatives alleged that she faced workplace harassment at the Coir Board headquarters in Kochi. 

In a statement issued while she was hospitalised, her family claimed that high-ranking officials, including an administrative head, a secretary, and a chairman, repeatedly targeted her for opposing corrupt practices within the organisation. The tactics included unjust transfers, withholding her salary, and humiliating reviews of her health despite her well-documented medical struggles, the statement read.

In August 2024, despite her fragile post-cancer recovery, Jolly was transferred from the Coir Board’s headquarters in Kochi to Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh for a field job, her family said. This was in retaliation for her flagging irregularities in hiring and contracting practices. The family added that Jolly was unable to relocate due to health reasons and was denied medical leave. The family also claimed her salary was stopped in violation of the rules.