Top cop and Kerala Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh IPS, known for his upright character and track-record of attracting the ire of politicians, has irked yet another political heavyweight, State Industries Minister EP Jayarajan of the CPI(M), with his statement that any man can be booked and jailed if he keeps looking at a woman for more than 14 seconds.
“Such statements can be disgusting as far as people are concerned,” said Jayarajan on Monday about the statement Singh had made in this regard the other day. The Minister said he would bring Singh’s statement to the notice of Excise Minister TP Ramakrishnan and would ensure action to correct his mistake if the top cop was legally incorrect.
While speaking at a function in Kochi the other day, Singh had given a call to women and girls to lodge complaints with the police in situations where men stared at them continuously for more than 14 seconds. “If a boy keeps looking at a girl for more than 14 seconds, an FIR could be registered against him if she complains,” he said adding that no such case was being registered because women were not coming out with complaints.
Jayarajan’s reaction to Singh’s statement came after posts criticising him for it flooded the social media where respondents threw angry and satirical comments at him. A senior woman lawyer of the Kerala High Court said that staring might be included in the category of stalking in peculiar circumstances but she would have to consult law books about the 14-second stare issue.
Rejecting the official’s opinion that flesh trade was on the rise in Kerala, Jayarajan said, “I am sure that the Excise Minister (TP Ramakrishnan) will take a look into the matter,” he said. Protesters in the social media pointed out that the Excise Commissioner was interfering in a matter which did not come under the jurisdiction of the department he was working with.
Over a year ago, Singh had irked the previous Congress-led UDF Government after he —then Additional DGP, Armed Forces Battalion — failed to get up from his seat on the dais of a function and salute then Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala of the Congress when he came on the stage to inaugurate the event.
Apart from calling upon women to complain to the police against men staring at them, Rishiraj Singh in his speech at the function in Kochi asked girls and women to always keep with them knives or pepper spray as it was perfectly legal for them to keep such things as implements for self-defence.
“Though Kerala is ahead of other Indian States as far as women’s safety is concerned, incidents of attacks against them physically and mentally are indeed taking place. Women should respond instantly and vehemently against such attacks. They should make it a big issue then and there and inform the police through their guardians,” he said.
“Who does not make a mistake once in a whileIJ It is quite natural to occur that people show some weaknesses and act without much thought,” Jayarajan said. His reaction has come at a time when several Ministers have the opinion that statements by some senior officials are causing headache for the Government.