WAYANAD: Congress MLA I C Balakrishnan and three others have been booked for the abetment of suicide of the party's Wayanad district office-bearer N M Vijayan, police said on Thursday.

A senior police officer of the district confirmed that the section of abetment of suicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been added to the FIR in connection with Vijayan and his son's death.

The officer also confirmed that Balakrishnan and three others, including Wayanad DCC president N D Appachan, who were named in Vijayan's suicide note, have been arrayed as accused in the case.

"The action was taken based on Vijayan's suicide note," the officer said.

Seventy-eight-year-old Vijayan, the Wayanad District Congress Committee (DCC) treasurer, and his son Jijesh, 38, died at Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital on December 27, 2024 after attempting suicide.

The incident has triggered a political controversy, with the ruling CPI(M) alleging that a cooperative bank job scam involving Balakrishnan pushed the duo to take such drastic action.

Allegations have surfaced that Vijayan, in his capacity as a party office-bearer, accepted money from individuals seeking jobs at a Congress-controlled cooperative bank, reportedly under the direction of Balakrishnan.