Thiruvananthapuram Youth Dies After Father’s Iron-Rod Blow; Case Upgraded to Murder

Tragedy struck a quiet neighbourhood in Thiruvananthapuram’s Vanchiyoor when 28-year-old Hriddhik succumbed to severe head injuries on Monday morning, nearly a month after his own father allegedly smashed an iron rod on his skull during a violent fight over a ₹50 lakh superbike. What began as a heated argument on October 9 inside their rented home escalated into a nightmare that has now left a mother widowed in grief and a father facing murder charges.

According to police, Hriddhik—described by relatives as brilliant but troubled—had been battling undiagnosed and untreated mental health issues for years, a condition the family kept hidden due to social stigma. The young man, who once studied catering technology in Bengaluru, had turned increasingly aggressive, frequently attacking his parents. Just months earlier, his desperate demands forced his father Vinayanandan, who runs a small cafeteria, to take a heavy loan and buy him a ₹12 lakh motorcycle—yet that wasn’t enough.

As his birthday approached, Hriddhik fixated on an ultra-luxury bike costing a staggering ₹50 lakh, far beyond the family’s means. When Vinayanandan refused, the situation exploded: Hriddhik allegedly lunged at his father with a knife, slashing him in rage. In a split-second act of self-defence that turned fatal, the 50-something father grabbed a nearby iron rod and struck his son hard on the head. Hriddhik collapsed in a pool of blood and was rushed to Medical College Hospital in critical condition.

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For 45 agonising days, doctors fought to save him while Vinayanandan was arrested on attempt-to-murder charges and later released on bail. On Monday morning, Hriddhik’s brain could fight no more—he was declared dead, automatically upgrading his father’s case to murder. By evening, the young man’s body was quietly taken to the family’s ancestral home in Kalady and cremated as neighbours whispered about a tragedy born from love twisted into uncontrollable violence.

With an only son lost forever and a husband now staring at years behind bars, mother Anupama is left shattered in the same rented house where a simple “no” over a motorcycle destroyed an entire family. Police say the case highlights the deadly consequences of untreated mental illness and the crushing pressure of unrealistic demands in middle-class homes.

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