Taken aback by daily reports of dowry deaths from all parts of the State, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asked the police force to pull up their sleeves and take instant action on complaints received from women.
“The police force in the State should be humane while accepting complaints and calls for help by women in distress. Their safety should be the prime concern of the police,” Vijayan told the State Police in a video message addressed to them through the social media.
A grim faced Chief Minister told the police force that the ever increasing number of dowry deaths has caused a blot on Kerala’s face. He said this should not be allowed to cause disrepute to the State.
Prof V T Rema, a retired Government College Principal, who is also a respected women’s rights activist had told The Pioneer the other day that there was no safety for women in the State.
Vijayan asked the police officers and men to speed up the investigations into various complaints on dowry harassments happening across the State.
“We should have a public relations officer in all Stations in the State exclusively to attend to the complaints of women. The Government is seriously considering setting up of special courts for the trial of dowry related deaths and suicides,” said the Chief Minister.
Vijayan also disclosed that his party CPI(M) has decided to observe a week in the month of July as women’s safety week.
Social media in Kerala is full of media reports about the petition filed by Dr Smeera Saithalavi, a Kozhikode based doctor, against Mohammed Riyaz, minister for Tourism and PWD in the Vijayan Cabinet, for dowry harassment and physical assault. Riyaz had divorced Dr Sameera and married Veena, daughter of Chief Minister Vijayan last year.
One of the police officers said that many suicides/ unnatural deaths involving brides go unreported. “If a bride commits suicide in Kasaragod or Kannur, the incident is unlikely to figure in the ever alert media in the State. This is one of the reasons for under reporting of such incidents. Moreover., there is shortage of investigation personnel in the force,” said the officer who recently hang up his boots.
Meanwhile, the State Police informed that Santha Rajan Deo, mother of Unni Rajan Deo, who has been alleged of the homicide of his wife Priyanka at Thiruvananthapuram has been absconding.
“Santha is the daughter of a prominent Kerala Congress (Mani faction) leader. Her son-in-law is also a close associate of KC(M) leader Jose K Mani,” said Santhivila Dinesh, movie maker who was a
friend of late Rajan P Deo, Santha’s husband.
The Government’s concern over the helplessness faced by women came out in the open on Friday as the CPI(M) showed the door to M C Josephine, the chairperson of Kerala Women’s Commission , who is also a member of the Central Committee of the party, for her arrogance.