Local CPM leader found hanging at party office in Ernakulam

Kochi: A local CPM leader was found dead at the party’s Committee office at Nadakkavu near Udayamperoor on Thursday morning. The deceased has been identified as T S Pankajakshan, former secretary of the CPM Udayamperoor North Local Committee.

According to police, Pankajakshan was found hanging inside the office library around 6 am by a person who came to deliver the newspaper, who immediately alerted others. Preliminary investigation suggests that mounting financial liabilities led him to take the extreme step. A suicide note recovered from the scene reportedly mentions his severe debt burden, though police have not revealed its contents. “Prima facie, it appears he was under tremendous financial stress. We are collecting more details and will record the family’s statements,” said a police officer.

Pankajakshan, a retired employee of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), had also served as an office-bearer of the employees’ union there. Both he and his wife, Bhasura Devi, were active members of the CPM. Bhasura Devi is a former president of the Mulanthuruthy Block Panchayat and a former ward member in Udayamperoor Panchayat.

Local ward member Usha Pavithran said the family had been facing heavy financial pressure. “It is learnt that he owed several lakhs to multiple people. He had even sold his ancestral home to repay part of the debt, but many creditors were still pressing him. He was deeply distressed,” she said.

The body was shifted to Ernakulam Medical College, Kalamassery, for postmortem examination. The police said further proceedings were initiated after the forensic team’s inspection. Udayamperoor police have registered a case of unnatural death and launched an investigation.