After 783 Days, Sreejith Calls off Protest: The One Man Battle Ends

With the end of two-year-long protest of Sreejith, what Kerala witnessed is a unique fight for justice. We can call it a One Man Battle for Justice. He sat outside the Kerala Secretariat for over two years alone without any help or media attention, but things changed this January. The sight of the frail man sitting in front of the Secretariat, day and night made people who walked past him curious, sympathetic, which, in due course, developed into empathy.

For over 700 Days, Sreejith protested by himself outside the Kerala Secretariat demanding justice after his brother died while in Custody the hundreds of young people have taken to the street angry at what they think is political apathy and moved by social media. Thousands of youths from across Kerala mobilized by social medias campaign hashtag justice for Sreejith gather outside the Kerala Secretariat. They are supporting 29 year old Sreejith, who has been holding a lonely protest for over 700 days demanding action against police men after his brother died in police custody in 2014.

Sreejith with Mother, Ramani

Sreejith, overwhelmed with the support says he will continue with his hunger protest of over 30 days till CBI investigates this case something that the CBI has already refused to do. Despite the Police Complaint Authority investigation report accusing the state police of custodial torture, the State Police maintains that the brother, Sreejeev died after consuming poison soon after he was arrested. In September 2016, the Kerala government ordered the Director General of Police to hand over the probe to a Special Investigations Team (SIT). In November 2017, Sreejith was informed of a CBI enquiry into the case from the Home Department. But later the state government received a letter from CBI stating that this was not a case of rare and exceptional nature warranting an investigation by the CBI.

The death happened during the time of UDF -United Democratic Front. Soon after 2016 elections, LDF-Left Democratic Front came to power. Sreejith got no support from both of these governments, but nothing discouraged this youngman from fighting against the culprits behind the death of his brother. He received no support from anyone when he began and resorted to fasting many times during the protest. Think mental agony he must have undergone after his brother’s death and the struggle thereafter for justice is nonparallel.

Finally, all his efforts came to fruition after they received the notification that CBI has decided to take over the case, but he was firm that he would end the protest only after the CBI takes his statement. "I have trust in the CBI. They have registered a fresh case of unnatural death. Since my demand is met and the CBI investigation has begun, I am ending my protest, ' he told media persons outside the CBI Thiruvananathapuram office.

The government's invitation to meet this man, who is neither influential nor financially well off, was solely because of the growing support the protest received. The protest saw people flocking into Sreejith's protest venue, declaring solidarity with him. Many had even displayed solidarity by changing their Facebook and WhatsApp displays.

“I had lost one of my sons. Now I feel that I have many sons, all those sitting around me are my children," Remani, Sreejith's mother had told to media when she and Sreejith during the peak of the protest.

Courtesy:

1. http://www.newsweek.com/protest-india-death-police-custody-sreejith-797339
2. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/one-man-battle-which-shook-kerala-look-back-sreejith-s-two-year-long-protest-75752
3. https://scroll.in/article/865177/766-days-and-counting-a-mans-fight-for-justice-for-his-dead-brother-has-caught-keralas-attention