THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The district leadership of Kerala Congress (B) has plunged into deeper trouble as more tribals approached the police on Friday alleging molestation by party workers before a party rally.
An earlier complaint by the parents of two girls, including a minor, had claimed that an identifiable party worker groped them and forced them to consume alcohol in a moving bus which was heading to Kottarakkara for a party rally on October 9. Though they retracted their statements later, fresh complaints have been given to Nedumangad DySP Restum Y.R. by the parents of another minor tribal girl.
As per this complaint, four party workers switched off the light in the bus in spite of the tribal girls’ protests and forced them to consume liquor. Then the minors were groped and asked for sexual favours by the workers identified as a senior leader Sathar and workers Shanavaz, Manzoor and Pattalam Binu. However, Kerala Congress (B) chairman R. Balakrishna Pillai said that no action would be initiated against party workers unless they were proved guilty by a police probe.
“Soon after learning about the complaint, I had called up the district president to oust these workers. However, I got reports from them as well as policemen that this could be a mudslinging attempt by the CPM workers. Hence, disciplinary action will be taken based on the police reports. I was told that only half a dozen tribal girls were there in the bus which had come for our rally,” Mr Pillai told DC.
Meanwhile on Friday, the Adivasi Kshema Samithi (AKS) slammed the police for violating the child rights of the 13-year-old victim by recording her statement in Kottoor school where she is studying. “As per earlier court rulings, police are not expected to record the statement in school. These Kerala Congress workers are rich and influential and hence they had pressurised the earlier complainants to retract their statements,” said Mr Vidyadharan Kani, former AKS state president.
