Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday condoled the death of senior Malayala Manorama journalist Jijo John Puthazheth, recalling their close friendship and his contributions to investigative journalism.

“I left for the office this morning after reading the byline ‘Jijo John Puthazheth’. I learnt about Jijo's death when I reached the office after the press conference following the Cabinet meeting. It took me quite some time to come to terms with the reality that Jijo is no more,” Satheesan said.

“Beyond being a senior journalist at Malayala Manorama, Jijo was from my hometown and a dear friend. I shared a very close bond with him and his family. We had met and spoken for some time just the other day,” he said.

Satheesan recalled regularly having lengthy conversations with Jijo on various issues when he was an MLA and later as the Leader of the Opposition.

“During Assembly sessions, those conversations were also part of my homework. The loss of such a dear friend with whom I shared such a close personal relationship has deeply shaken and pained me,” he said.

Satheesan said Jijo's journalistic excellence and standards had received national recognition, with several honours coming his way, including the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Award in 2015.

“Jijo brought out several stories in the field of investigative journalism that attracted national attention,” he said.

“I painfully realise that the byline ‘Jijo John Puthazheth’ will no longer appear. But that name will remain in my heart forever. Not merely because of the stories Jijo wrote, but because it is also part of such a strong friendship. Farewell, dear Jijo,” he said.