After Husband's Death, 26-Year-Old Woman Protests At Kerala Secretariat

It's been over a month since her husband left her alone to take care of their children. After promises of help from the Kerala government remained unfulfilled, the woman decided to protest.

Sanal was killed following an alleged altercation with a deputy superintendent of police over car parking in rural Thiruvananthapuram. He was allegedly pushed to the road when he was hit by a passing vehicle. He was declared brought dead at the hospital.

His wife Viji has been protesting outside the secretariat for the last eight days as she is yet to be compensated for her loss by the government. She has two children -- the elder one four-year-old and the other a year younger -- to look after and zero family income. To make matters worse, she has loans worth Rs 30 lakh to repay.

"My husband was an electrician. He was the only earning member in our family. After his death, three ministers visited my house and assured me of a job and financial assistance, but I haven't received anything till now," the 26-year-old said.

Members of various political parties have joined the protest. They have placed a container for donations at the protest site and till Monday, they had managed to collect around Rs 50,000.