Woman ends life after police ignores pictures on Facebook

Kochi: A housewife in Kochi committed suicide after the cops failed to investigate a Facebook abuse case even one month after she lodged a complaint. The police  also ignored a directive by the Kerala High Court on the case status and are yet to file a statement.

 

Vijitha, 25, a resident of Chittoor near here,  committed suicide after her neighbour at her paternal house allegedly spread obscene Facebook posts against her. 

 

Vijitha was living with her husband Vinuketen and their child. Vijitha had complained to  the Cheranelloor police on December 23 last  against  Ratheesh, son of Mohanan of Ambalappuzha, stating that he posted obscene comments alleging she was having links with several men.

 

Though several attempts were made,  police declined to probe the case under sections 66A of the IT act and she even approached Kochi City Police Commissioner K. G. James, but in vain. 

 

Subsequently, she filed a plea before the High Court on January 15 alleging police inaction. The High Court had asked the Cheranelloor police to file a statement but the police team has not filed it  so far. 

 

The case was adjourned once after the government pleader sought time to make a statement. Interestingly,  the case will come up before the court on Tuesday.

 

Police Commissioner K.G. James claimed that he had accepted her plea and forwarded it to the Cheranelloor station. “There was no material for us to probe under the IT Act. The comments were removed soon after the complaint was lodged,” he said. Vijitha, in her plea, argued that there was a boundary dispute between her father and neighbour,  Kusuma Kumari. 

 

There are civil and criminal cases pending between the duo for the past four years but she was not involved in the same. She alleged that Ratheesh posted some obscene messages on FB and also shared the same with Sarath,  a close friend of the victim's mother.