Coir Board employee’s death in Kerala: family alleges workplace harassment, seeks justice

The death of 56-year-old Jolly Madhu, a Section Officer at the Coir Board in Kochi, has sparked controversy, with her family alleging that she faced harassment at her workplace.

Madhu, a cancer patient, suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was admitted to a private hospital in Kochi on January 31. Her family claims that she had been subjected to continuous harassment, which led to the deterioration of her health and her eventual passing on February 10. Madhu had been employed at The Coir Board (Ministry of MSME) for 30 years.

In a letter to the Chief Secretary, Kerala, (from a copy shared with HerStory) the family has reported the following timeline of events and demanded accountability and criminal investigation against four officials of The Coir Board.

• Madhu rightfully refused to issue an order changing the designation of secretary-in-charge to secretary without proper approval from the MSME Ministry.
• On August 18, 2024, she received a transfer order to a remote location in Andhra Pradesh. 
• The following week, she applied for medical leave, which was denied. 
• Her salary was stopped by the Chairman on September 14, 2024, against all government norms and rules. 
• The Coir Board appointed a Medical Board of three specialists to review her case. 
• On October 10, 2024, the Medical Board concluded that Jolly Madhu required ongoing treatment and should not be transferred to a remote location for field duty. 
• The Chairman, and the then-Secretary, rejected this recommendation and questioned the Medical Board. 
• Understanding this decision was unjust; she escalated the matter to the Union Minister of MSME and Minister of State of MSME. 
• In retaliation, she received numerous harassing letters from the Secretary in the subsequent weeks, including a chargesheet with threats of more. 
• She then met with the Minister of State of MSME when she visited ESIC Hospital in Kochi on November 14, 2024. 
• The Coir Board was subsequently questioned by multiple authorities, including the President of India’s Office and the Prime Minister’s Office. 
• When a new Secretary assumed charge in January 2025, he pressured Jolly Madhu to issue a personal apology to the Chairman and withdraw all previous complaints for her with-held salary to be considered for payment.
• When she refused to accept these humiliating conditions, she was asked to provide this decision in writing. 
• On January 31, 2025, she collapsed at home while drafting this response.

The letter also pointed out that the Coir Board’s official transfer policy, available on its website, states under General #6: “Employees suffering from serious diseases like cancer, heart attack, etc., are exempted from transfer to other states and will be posted in their respective stations, as far as possible.” 

In a LinkedIn post published before her death, her son Mahesh Michael wrote, “In August 2024, my mother was suddenly transferred from her position at the Coir Board headquarters in Kochi to the Field Office in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. This wasn’t a routine transfer-it was a punishment. The ‘charge’ against her was complaining about corrupt practices within the organisation."

"She tried everything—writing to the President of India, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Human Rights Commission. The Minister of State of MSME offered to help, but no one helped. Instead, she was subjected to humiliating medical reviews, where even her well-documented health condition approved by their own Medical Board was questioned. The stress broke her down, little by little, until her body couldn’t take it anymore."

On January 31, 2025, she collapsed while writing a final plea for mercy. Her handwritten note read: “Sir, I am scared and have no courage to speak to our Hon'ble Chairman. I beg for your mercy.” 

"A few moments later, she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage due to severe hypertension caused by the immense mental strain."

Following widespread reports in the media, the MSME Ministry issued a note by the Chairman of the Coir Board, which stated the allegations levelled against the Coir Board officials were baseless. 

The note, posted on X, said, “Jolly Madhu was transferred to the Regional Office in Rajahmundry due to administrative exigencies. Due to her medical conditions, which came to notice recently, her leave and leave salary were sanctioned, and her transfer order was also cancelled. If any issues are identified within the Board, appropriate corrective measures will be taken.”

On February 13, the MSME Ministry announced that it has constituted a three-member committee to probe the allegations against senior Coir Board officials after the death of Jolly Madhu. The committee will be submitting its report within 15 days.

Reacting to this, MP Michael Payyappilly, Madhu’s brother-in-law, told HerStory, “This sounded strange to me because Jolly Madhu complained against the MSME, and complained about the person who continues to be chairman. And, the same Ministry is now going to probe into it.”

Right now, the family is asking for an independent investigation resulting in the suspension of the accused. 

“Unfortunately, the opposite is what is happening now. One of the accused remains the chairman; and the other three accompany the Committee. And, the Committee Members are all junior to the chairman,” he says.

He also countered the chairman’s note that her leave and leave salary were sanctioned, and her transfer order was also cancelled.

“They responded to her request to cancel the transfer in February, not until I personally went to the officer and met with the current secretary, Mr Arun,” he adds.

Payyappilly also shared that Madhu was well liked by her colleagues at the Coir Board, and they are privy to information on the happenings in the organisation, including details of corruption and other irregularities.

“People continue to send us documents and evidence in the form of video and audio clips. We are not releasing anything because we also think why are we the only ones taking this big fight against the board. We are unhappy and want justice,” he says.

There is also a voice clip doing the rounds in the media of Madhu complaining to a relative about irregularities and corruption in the Board and how they were taking “revenge on her” for spoiling their plans.

The family also said that it is in talks with lawyers and is contemplating legal action against the four officials of The Coir Board.