A family of four died after an eviction-linked dispute in Piravom in Ernakulam ended with a jump from the Piravom bridge into the Muvattupuzha River on Friday. Police say all evidence points to suicide, and they are still piecing together what drove Narayanan, Bijimol, Anna and their two-year-old son to the bridge.
The family had eaten lunch at Aishwarya Hotel before CCTV showed them leaving and walking toward the bridge. No CCTV cameras near the bridge captured the jump itself, but Piravom Police said the family was seen heading in that direction before entering the river.
Piravom bridge and Friday
The deceased were identified as Narayanan, Bijimol, Anna and their two-year-old son. A local fisherman spotted the boy’s body floating in the river on Friday and alerted another resident, and Bijimol’s body was recovered shortly after from the same area. Narayanan’s body was found on Saturday.
Anna’s body was recovered on Sunday morning by Fire and Rescue Services personnel. An official from the Piravom Police Station said, “Anna's body was recovered a few metres downstream from the bridge, close to the spot from where the family is believed to have jumped. At present, all evidence points to it being a case of suicide,”
Kothamangalam Police and family
Police said preliminary inquiries suggest there were longstanding issues between the couple, and that Kothamangalam Police had intervened earlier. They also said the house where the family had been living was a rented accommodation arranged with police assistance, and that Bijimol had been estranged from her family and living separately for some time.
Statements are being recorded from relatives of both Narayanan and Bijimol. In a separate statement, an officer said, “Preliminary inquiries suggest there were longstanding issues between the couple, and the Kothamangalam Police had intervened in the matter earlier. The house where they had been living was a rented accommodation arranged with the police's assistance. We also suspect the family was under financial stress due to debts, but the exact reason behind the suspected suicide is yet to be confirmed,”
Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery
After the inquest, Anna’s body was shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery, for postmortem examination. The bodies of the other three victims were also kept at the hospital mortuary. Piravom Police have registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita into the incident, while the relatives’ statements may help police test the financial and family factors already on record.
The immediate question now is not whether the deaths were recorded, but what specific circumstances led Narayanan and Bijimol to take their two children to the bridge after lunch. Police have pointed to suicide; they have not yet pinned down the reason behind it.
