Kerala Minister Apologises for Controversial Comment on Kollam Student's Death

Minister Chinchu Rani, after visiting the family of Mithun, who died of electrocution, apologised for her comment and said that it was a lapse in judgment. 

Kollam: Kerala Minister Chinchu Rani has expressed regret over her controversial remarks concerning the electrocution death of a student named Mithun in Thevalakkara, Kollam. After visiting Mithun’s grieving family, the minister acknowledged her lapse in judgment and issued an apology, following strong backlash from within her party and across the political spectrum.

The victim, Mithun, an eighth-grade student at Thevalakkara Boys High School, lost his life while attempting to retrieve a shoe that had fallen onto a school building. Despite being aware of the incident in her own district, Minister Rani attended a women’s meeting and participated in a Zumba session during the CPI district conference in Thrippunithura. Speaking at the event, she stated that the accident wasn't due to any fault of the teachers and that the child climbed onto the shed despite warnings from classmates.

"The accident occurred when the boy climbed onto the shed to retrieve a shoe. His foot slipped, and he grabbed a high-voltage power line. The electricity passed through him, and he died instantly. This isn't the teachers' fault. But do we realize how dangerous it can be when children climb onto such structures while playing? We often forget. A child went to school in the morning, ready for the day, and returned dead. We can't blame the teachers. We understand that he climbed up there despite his classmates telling him not to. How many such incidents occur?" she stated.

Her comments sparked sharp criticism and protests, prompting party leaders to express concern over the damage caused to the party’s image. Later, she admitted to the media that the remark was unnecessary and should not have been made, attributing it to a slip of the tongue.