The CPI(M) on Wednesday suspended a young leader, RL Jeevanlal, accused of trying to sexually abuse a woman leader of the party’s youth outfit, DYFI, from primary membership for a year. He has also been removed from the position of joint secretary of the DYFI’s Block Committee in Irinjalakuda, Thrissur district.
The party has not made any official announcement about the decision but leaders said action had been taken against him. The CPI(M) was forced to take action after the young woman leader lodged a complaint on Tuesday night with Famous Varghese, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP), Irinjalakuda, on the basis of which a case was registered against Jeevanlal.
The DySP later transferred the case to the nearby Kattur Police Station, where the complainant’s statement was recorded on Wednesday. The CPI(M) was forced to take action in this matter also because it has already been pushed into the defensive over the charge against party MLA PK Sasi that he had tried to sexually abuse a woman DYFI leader at Mannarkad, Palakkad.
The incident that formed the basis of the case had taken place on July 11 at the MLA Hostel in Thiruvananthapuram. Jeevanlal had accompanied the woman DYFI leader to the State capital where she had gone to in order to seek admission at a medical entrance examination coaching centre.
It is said that Jeevanlal had been able to get admission for the woman by telephoning the coaching centre from the room of KU Arunan, CPI(M) legislator from Irinjalakuda. However, the woman complained that he had tried to abuse her sexually as she entered the hostel room to take her bag while returning home.
After the incident, Jeevanlal had reportedly apologized to the young woman who discussed the matter with her mother. However, they decided not to go to the police after the local DYFI leadership assured that the CPI(M) would take action against Jeevanlal. She approached the police after the party failed to fulfill the assurance.