Wayanad (Kerala) | Congress MLA I C Balakrishnan was arrested on Saturday in connection with the alleged abetment of suicide of the party's Wayanad district office-bearer N M Vijayan.

He was later released on bail.

According to police, Balakrishnan's arrest was recorded after two days of questioning, but he was released as the court had granted him anticipatory bail.

With this, the interrogation and arrests of all the accused in the case have been completed.

Earlier, Wayanad District Congress Committee (DCC) president N D Appachan and former DCC treasurer K K Gopinath were arrested in connection with the case and later released on anticipatory bail.

The Principal Sessions Court in Kalpetta had granted anticipatory bail to Balakrishnan with a condition that he should turn up for interrogation for three days from January 23.

The police on January 9 booked Balakrishnan and three others on charges of abetment to suicide under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the deaths of Vijayan and his son.

Seventy-eight-year-old Vijayan, the Wayanad 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.