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Dance competition judge accused of graft dies by suicide in Kerala: Police
A purported note has been recovered from the bedroom of the deceased dance teacher in which he claimed innocence in the bribery allegation
A 51-year-old man, who had recently judged a dance competition as part of the youth festival at Kerala University and was accused of taking a bribe to tamper with the results, was found dead at his residence in Kannur city, police said on Thursday, suspecting it to be a case of suicide.
A purported note has been recovered from the bedroom of the deceased dance teacher in which he claimed innocence in the bribery allegation, a senior officer from Kannur city police station said, adding the man took the extreme step on Wednesday night.
“He had consumed poison and it is being treated as a case of suicide. The post-mortem examination has been completed and a case under Section 174 (inquest report in suicide case) of CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) has been registered,” the officer said. “Further investigation will be carried into possible reasons for him taking the extreme step.”
The officer added that his family has made some allegations through local media, which are being verified.
The dance instructor, who had judged the “Margam Kali” competition at the KU youth festival in Thiruvananthapuram on March 9, was taken into custody, along with three others, by the Cantonment police the same day following a bribery complaint against them. They were later released on bail, the officer said.
The incident sparked a political row, with the opposition Congress in Kerala accusing members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), of assaulting the dance teacher during the fest.
“I have understood that he had resisted attempts of some SFI leaders to award ranks to specific persons of their choice in the competition. I spoke to his colleagues who said he was impartial and did not act with any bias. He was also physically assaulted,” Congress state chief K Sudhakaran, who visited the family of the deceased, alleged.
The CPI(M) and SFI did not respond to the allegations till late on Thursday.
