Lapses in handling body of Rajesh who saved man from river; Payyannur Tehsildar to be suspended

The Payyanur Tehsildar will face disciplinary action over the alleged lapses in the handling of the body of Rajesh, a swimming instructor from Thiruvananthapuram who died while undertaking rescue operations in the floods that swept the Cherupuzha region on August 1.

The Land Revenue Commissioner has been directed by Minister A P Anil Kumar to suspend Payyanur Tehsildar Paul K T after a preliminary probe into the allegations indicated lapses.

The controversy erupted after Rajesh's body had to be shifted to another ambulance while it was being transported to his residence in Thiruvananthapuram. It is alleged that the body began decomposing due to improper embalming and because the ambulance did not have a freezer. The incident sparked public outrage as CCTV visuals of the body being moved spread across social media, with many stating that Rajesh's heroic efforts were being inadequately reciprocated by the disrespectful manner in which his body was handled.

A broader controversy emerged after associates of Rajesh alleged that the Tehsildar demanded payments from his employers to facilitate the transportation, when it had to be arranged by the Revenue Department. "We were already strapped for cash after having to arrange food and accommodation for Rajesh's family. So, when the Tehsildar demanded more money, we did not have money with us," Anoop, the president of the Adventure Sports Centre, told Onmanorama. "After he demanded money, I told him that we could arrange the ambulance on our own; we didn't need someone else just to do that. He got angered by my remarks and cut the call," he added.

Despite the tussle, the ambulance was arranged by the Tehsildar. However, it lacked a freezer and the body began decomposing on the way. Aneesh Antony of the Cherupuzha panchayat, who accompanied the family, said that various authorities who were present when the body was sent off assured them that the transportation arrangements would suffice. "But on the way, the body developed a smell, which prompted the family to request that it be shifted to a freezer ambulance," he told Onmanorama.

According to Aneesh, the demand for money most likely stemmed from the insufficient availability of funds with the Tehsildar. "See, we all face the same problems. We make the payments out of our pockets and the money is later reimbursed to us by the government," he said, describing the Tehsildar's request as an institutional limitation.
However, the office of the Land Revenue Commissioner confirmed that the government had sanctioned the funds required for transportation and cited the preliminary probe that found lapses in his handling of the incident.