Son not coward to end life: Mom

Struck with disbelief over the mysterious death of Dalit scholar Muthukrishanan, family members and friends describe him as a ‘brave man with an indomitable fighting spirit.’

“My son is not a coward to commit suicide. His body should be brought to Salem only after the Central government orders a CBI probe into the death. A post-mortem can be performed under the observation of a special medical team here,” said Muthukrishnan’s mother Alamelu.

She works as a dailywager.

His sister Jayanthi said that Muthukrishnan aspired to become an IAS officer. “My brother saw IAS Iraianbu sir, as his role model and aspired to become like him. He worked as a supplier in a hotel in Delhi in part time to meet his educational expenses. Even with that little earnings, he would send us money to take care of our needs,” she said.

Since his college days in Salem, JNU has been his go-to destination. Though a bright student, things did not fall in place that easily for Muthukrishnan as he managed to enter the portals of this prestigious institution only after a couple of failed attempts. “It shows his fighting spirit to finally achieve, what he intends to,” says G. Boopalan, who studied BA with Muthukrishnan in Salem Government College.

“My friend Muthukrishna was a book worm and would always come first in studies during college days. He used to teach others the nuances of learning lessons in a simple manner and stood as an example for others to follow. Gifted with good English speaking skills, he always had a helping mind,” he added.