KOLLAM: Various organisations of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes have condemned what they called the laxity on the part of the Government to arrest the persons responsible for the death of a tribal boy, an inmate of an adivasi hostel near Chadayamangalam, last month.

Rajeev (8), a fourth standard student and an inmate of Dr Ambedkar Memorial Adivasi Hostel at Vettuvazhi, died in an hospital on June 26.

The post- mortem report said that the boy died of infection in the brain and lungs. The boy was also sexually harassed, according to the report. It was alleged that the boy was denied treatment in time. There were many allegations against the management of the hostel.

Kollam sub-collector B Asok, who inquired into the death of the boy, in his preliminary report to District Collector Asha Thomas had recommended a high- level probe into the death.

The collector herself had visited the hostel last week and collected evidences.

Adivasi-Dalit Samara Samithi chairperson C K Janu said here today that the hostel was run by business interests.

According to her, the hostel was run with a motive of supplying children to schools facing the threat of division falls.

The Samithi will launch an agitation against the Government and will resort to legal actions on the issue, she said.

Samithi convener M Geethananadan, Girivarga Kanikkar Sanghom president Sadasivan Kani and Dalit Samskarika Vedi convener N Devarajan were the other signatories to the statement.

The Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Joint Action Council general convener and former minister P K Raghavan urged the Chief Minister to order a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the running of this type of hostels in various parts of the State.

Kerala Pulayar Maha Sabha general secretary S Sasankan, KSS general secretary Pandalam Bharathan and KSSS vice-president Mulavana Thampi also warned the Government that agitation would be launched against the Government for its laxity to take strong actions on the issue.