Kochi: CPI leader and Minister J. Chinchu Rani has drawn criticism after attending a party-organised women’s gathering and participating in a Zumba dance session, even after learning about the tragic electrocution death of a student from her home district of Kollam.

The incident happened during a CPI event held in Tripunithura, Ernakulam, where the minister not only attended but also danced along with other women leaders. The development came after a 13-year-old boy died after suffering an electric shock on his school premises in Kollam.

What has further fueled the outrage is the fact that the minister allegedly made controversial remarks about the deceased student before joining the dance.

Mithun, a Class 8 student of Boys High School, Thevalakkara, died while trying to retrieve a slipper that had fallen on top of the cycle shed adjacent to the school building. A low-hanging electric wire was nearby, and Mithun was electrocuted, killing him on the spot.

However, the minister's speech, delivered just before the event officially began, downplayed the seriousness of the incident and appeared to place blame on the student while defending the teachers involved. According to the minister, while the death was unfortunate, it was the student's actions that led to the tragedy. This stance has drawn strong criticism from various quarters.

Videos of Chinchu Rani dancing cheerfully alongside other CPI leaders have since gone viral, showing her participating in the Zumba session from start to finish.

Many have called the minister’s actions insensitive and lacking in basic empathy, especially given that other ministers and officials from outside Kollam had already visited the grieving family to offer condolences.

In response to the backlash, Chinchu Rani clarified that she learned about the student’s death while en route to Ernakulam. She claimed she had planned to visit the family on her return, but was unable to skip the event as it had already begun.