The Kerala CPI(M) heading the State’s lDF Government is in a spot over the protection that it is allegedly providing to criminals like rapists and gangsters as seen in the case of PN Jayanthan, party’s Councilor in Wadakanchery Municipality in Thrissur district. He and three other men are accused of raping a 34-year-old woman two years ago and intimidating her with the help of other Marxist leaders and police officials.
As protests raged across the State, the CPI(M) on Friday had suspended Jayanthan and alleged fellow-rapist Bineesh from its primary membership but while announcing the suspension, party’s Thrissur district secretary K Radhakrishnan, former Assembly Speaker and former Minister, disclosed the victim’s name. However, the party decided not to ask Jayanthan to resign as Councilor.
Even as the gangrape scandal that rocked the party and the State, the CPI(M) suffered yet another jolt on Friday as it was forced to remove prominent leader Zakir Hussain as its area secretary in Kalamassery near Kochi for his alleged association with gangsters and involvement in the abduction and intimidation of an industrialist.
The State police have started a probe against Jayanthan, the other three alleged rapists and the police officials, particularly the Circle Inspector of the police station at Peramangalam in Thrissur, who, according to the victim, had allegedly tortured her with obscene comments and questions when her complaint against the rapists came for his consideration three months back.
It is now apparent that Marxist Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who also holds the Home portfolio, might have turned a blind eye towards the victim’s ordeal. According to Anil Akkara, Congress legislator from Wadakanchery, the victim had lodged a complaint with the Chief Minister on the incident by registered post last August.
The issue rocked the Assembly on Friday with the Congress-led UDF Opposition accusing the CPI(M) and its Government of providing protection to the rapists. “This incident proves that women are not safe under the CPI(M)’s rule. It is extremely unfortunate that the CPI(M) is providing protection to all sorts of criminals,” said Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala.
The woman, a mother of two children, was allegedly gang-raped by four family friends–Jayanthan a local CPI(M) leader and party’s municipal councilor in Wadakanchery, and three others–in April, 2014 but she disclosed the matter only on Thursday by holding a Press conference with the help of film dubbing artist Bhagyalakshmi and mediaperson Parvathy in Thiruvananthapuram.
The woman was allegedly raped at a place some kilometers south of Thrissur city. “They told me that my husband was in a serious condition and that I should go with them in the car. Since they were friends, there was no room for any suspicion,” she said. Her husband, who was present at the Press meet, said the family had been under constant threat from the rapists since then.
“I did not have the courage to lodge a complaint against Jayanthan and others as they kept on threatening to kill my husband and children. They also threatened me by saying that they had videographed my ordeal in their hands and that they would publish the video through the internet,” she said.
However, Jayanthan stuck to his arguments that he had done nothing wrong, that the woman was leveling charges against him just because he had asked her to repay the `3 lakh loan she had taken from him and that he was ready to undergo any punishment if proven guilty. The party also seemed to be toeing the line that the charge against Jayanthan was false.
After discussions on the issue at various levels on Friday, the CPI(M) came to the conclusion that it was impossible to conclude that the alleged gang-rape had taken place. Justifying his act of mentioning the names of the victim and her husband, Radhakrishnan said, “It is unjust to argue that the other person’s name should not be revealed while Jayanthan’s name is being mentioned repeatedly.”