Kerala was shocked by Friday afternoon’s cold blooded murder of PV Manasa, a 24-year-old house surgeon of Indira Gandhi Dental College, by her lover Rakhil (32) in Kothamangalam in Ernakulam district.
Manasa, hailing from Kannur was having lunch with colleagues in her paying guest accommodation when Rakhil gatecrashed into the room, took her by force to the bed room and shot her dead. He shot himself after ensuring that Manasa was dead.
The dead bodies have been removed to a private hospital in Kothamangalam. Rakhil was also from Kannur and used to torment the young dental surgeon. Reports from Kannur say that Manasa and her parents had complained to the police about Rakhil who continued to harass the girl despite the warning issued by the cops.
The youth had come to Kothamangalam in search of Manasa and was staying in a lodge under the pretext that he was working in a plywood company.
Attacks against women and girls are on the rise in the State. Governor Mohammed Arif Khan had staged a day’s fast to draw the attention of the nation towards the unabated attacks on women and girls in Kerala.
Not a day passes in the State without reports about attacks on women. Investigating officers in Kothamangalam told The Pioneer that they have not received any complaints from the girl or her parents about Rakhil. “Police in Kannur district may have been given complaint by the parents of the girl. We are trying to gather as much information from our counterparts in Kannur and from the relations of the victim,” said an officer.
The Crime Records Bureau of the Kerala Police had said in its interim report for the last six months that crimes against women and children, especially girl children, have shot up and the situation was alarming in the State.
The last five months saw the police registering 1, 437 cases of rape. Out of this, 627 are girls. “The figures are alarming and shows that crimes against women and girl children are on the rise. These details are for the period January 2021 to May 31,” said an official of the CRB.
