Writer-journalist Manoj Nair found dead in his Kochi home; police register case of 'unnatural death'

Writer Manoj Nair was found dead in his rented house in Fort Kochi on 8 June. He was found by his landlord Derson Antony, who informed the police, reports The Hindu. The 49-year-old hailed from Irinjalakkuda, Thrissur and had been residing in Fort Kochi for nine years. [caption id=“attachment_6779881” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Manoj Nair. Twitter/@sruthijith[/caption] Nair previously worked with Economic Times, Hindustan Times and Outlook. He was closely associated with the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, curating the artist’s cinema section. He authored a book titled Pencil Sketches, which was a collection of his writings, and HarperCollins was to publish another book by him, on India’s alternative music. The police suspect that he had died two or three days before his body was found. “There were no injuries on the body and as of now we don’t suspect any foul play behind the death. However, the cause of death would be known only after the postmortem, which would be done as soon as the relatives are here,” said sub-inspector K Saji to The Hindu. The police have registered a case for unnatural death under Section 174 of CrPC. A postmortem examination was to be conducted on Sunday, following which the exact cause of death was to be ascertained, reports Times of India.