Grief at Kochi airport as mother returns from Kuwait for Mithun’s funeral

Kochi: Heart-wrenching scenes unfolded at Kochi airport on Saturday morning as Suja, a domestic worker who had returned from Kuwait, broke down on reuniting with her family after the tragic death of her 13-year-old son, Mithun. The boy died after being electrocuted while trying to retrieve his footwear from the rooftop of his school.

Suja was seen embracing her younger son, 11-year-old Sujin, and other close relatives in tears before being swiftly escorted to a waiting car. With a police escort leading the way, she began her journey to Kollam to see Mithun one last time.

At their modest home, covered with plastic sheets, relatives and neighbors awaited Suja’s arrival. Earlier that morning, Mithun’s body was brought to his school, where a large crowd had gathered to pay their respects to the boy who had aspired to join the Armed Forces and support his struggling family.

A talented footballer, Mithun was recently selected for the school team and had quickly become a well-liked student, despite joining the school only a month ago.

Following the incident, the school’s headmistress, S. Sujatha, was suspended on Friday evening after an inquiry report submitted to the Education Department found lapses on the part of the school authorities.

Suja had travelled to Kuwait just four months ago to work as a domestic helper, hoping to earn enough to build a small house for her family, who were living in poverty on her husband’s limited income.

Tragedy struck on Thursday when Mithun volunteered to climb to the school rooftop to retrieve his slippers and accidentally touched a live wire, resulting in his death.

In response, the state government has extended support by handing over a cheque of Rs five lakh to the grieving family and promising to build them a new home in Mithun’s memory.