The soul of Vismaya, the 24-year old house surgeon who was found dead under mysterious conditions in her husband’s house at Kollam on June 21 , got some relief as the Kerala Government on Friday announced the dismissal from service of S Kiran Kumar, her husband.
Kiran Kumar who was working as an assistant motor vehicle inspector with the Government of Kerala has been placed under suspension following the big outcry against him and his parents for assaulting and tormenting Vismaya demanding more money as dowry. Governor Mohammed Arif Khan visited the bereaved parents of Vismaya to console them and he sat in a day’s fast to express his anguish over the unprecedented increase in the suicides/murders of newly married girls following pressure from in-laws and husbands for more dowry. The dismissal of Kiran Kumar means that he would not be able to get any jobs in Government services hereafter.
Announcement about dismissal of Kiran Kumar from Government Service was made by Kerala Minister for Transport Anthony Raju on Friday. Kiran Kumar, a fellow traveller of the CPI(M) and his parents with connections to the power and mighty had made unsuccessful bids to wriggle out of the case. The dismissal of Kiran Kumar from service is the first action of its kind in the State against those seeking dowry.
According to the minister, Kiran’s conduct was in violation of Kerala Civil Services (Classification, Control & Appeal) Rules 1960 under section 11 (1) (viii). The government employees have a conduct rule which explicitly bars accepting and giving dowry (93 (c)) which is considered a social evil. Kiran was suspended on June 22 and a memo was issued.
A department level inquiry headed by a senior officer in the transport department heard the accused and found that the charges were proved beyond doubt based on eyewitness testimony, said the minister. The minister said he will visit the parents of Vismaya at their house at Nilamel in Kollam.