PATHANAPURAM: A literacy prerak, who was in a financial crisis without receiving salary for the last four months, committed suicide on Thursday. ES Bijumon (49), a block nodal literacy prerak who won the President's award for the Best Literacy Activist, was found hanging at his house in Pathanapuram. Bijumon committed suicide while the Kerala Literacy Prerak Association (KSPA) was on strike for 82 days outside the Secretariat in demand of salary.

Bijumon was found hanging in the bedroom at 7:30 on Thursday morning. It was his sister who saw the body first. Bijumon had financial obligations. He had told his friends last night that he might commit suicide if he did not get his salary. A local media activist, Bijumon was also active in cultural activities. He is the son of the Late Sivaramanachari and Vijayamma. He is unmarried.

There are 1726 literacy preraks in the state. They wander across various places to find students for equivalency courses. The literacy preraks were paid salaries using a grant from the Centre. The misery of the preraks worsened when the grant was stopped in 2009.