Kottayam businessman TK Vijayakumar, who was found murdered in his house along with his wife Meera, had won a court order for a CBI probe into the death of his son Gautham only two months ago. His demise badly jolted the family.
His body was found near the railway track close to the level crossing at Ottakapilmavu railway gate in Kottayam in June 2017. While the police ruled it a case of suicide, Vijayakumar believed that his son would never take his own life.

His prolonged legal battle bore fruit after eight years when the High Court ordered a CBI probe. Vijayakumar was hopeful that he would finally get closure. On Tuesday, Vijayakumar and Meera were murdered in a brutal way -- deep gash wounds had disfigured their faces, and according to police, he was repeatedly hacked on his head.

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Gautham, 28, ran a business at Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram. He left his house on the evening of June 2, 2017, in his car to meet a friend who ran a shop at Pulimootil junction in Kottayam. Vijayakumar had told police that his wife received a call from Gautham saying that he was on his way back. When he didn't come, Vijayakumar approached the Kottayam West Police.

Initially, a missing person case was registered. The next morning, the police found his body on the railway track close to a level crossing. The car was parked about 240 metres from the crossing. There was blood on the front seat and rear seat and cops recovered a knife blade from the rear seat.

The autopsy report revealed that the cause of death was the injuries sustained to the neck and chest. The police changed the section to unnatural death and began a probe. The investigation was handed over to the Crime Branch, which filed a report stating that it was a case of suicide. It was concluded that the wounds were self-inflicted and the deceased had taken his own life by jumping in front of a moving train.

Vijayakumar and Meera's house. Photo: Onmanorama
Vijayakumar and Meera's house. Photo: Onmanorama

Former Director General of Prosecution T Asafali, who represented Vijayakumar, told the court that while it was evident from records that it was a clear case of suicide, the local police filed a final report without applying mind and conducting any investigation. The postmortem report showed two wounds on the front of the neck of Gautham.

The court had passed an interim order in 2023, directing the ADGP, Crimes, to conduct a further investigation. The ADGP had filed a report stating that in order to rule out the possibility of the case being a homicide, a thorough and indubitable further investigation was necessary. The court took note of this report and ordered that it was a fit case for a CBI probe.

Former officials with Kottayam police, who had probed the case, said that they had probed all possible angles to rule out homicide. "Gautham was worried and depressed over a medical condition. He was hit by a moving train and under the impact, he hit a concrete pole and sustained severe wounds. Although there were wounds to his neck, it seemed self-inflicted. The wounds were not deep enough to cause severe loss of blood and render him unconscious. The probe showed he tried to cut his neck, then walked towards the moving train with an intent to commit suicide," a police official who was part of the investigation said.

The police also considered the possibility of Gautham being flung onto the track from an elevated position. The type of injuries in the body was consistent with those incurred when a person standing is hit by a train. Bone fractures were detected in his feet which happen when the cattle guard of a moving train hits a person. Even if someone had forcibly held him on the track, others would also have suffered the impact. His phone location and CCTV images also showed that he had purchased a knife blade from a shop," the official said.

Vijayakumar had persisted with the demand for a detailed probe with a conviction that his son was killed. In the wake of the murder of Vijayakumar and his wife, residents have raised suspicion over possible links to Gautham's death. The police have ruled out any such possibility.

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