Kerala rape case: Police in dock over victim ill-treatment

Thrissur: The Peramangalam police are  in the dock over the ill-treatment meted out to a gang-rape victim who went there to file a complaint about the incident in August. It may be recalled that the same police had received flak for siding with  beedi tycoon Muhammed Nisham during the  investigation into the  Chandrabose murder case in 2015.   The woman was allegedly gang-raped by four men, including P.N. Jayanthan,  CPM councillor  of Wadakkanchery  municipality.

Soon after the alleged victim and her husband along with dubbing artist Bhagyalakshmi  held a press conference in Thiruvanathapuram on Thursday noon alleging that the present CI M.V. Manikandan had insulted her with lewd queries while inquiring into her complaint,  Thrissur city police commissioner J. Himendranath summoned the CI to his office and asked him about the details about the case.

Mr Himendranath   later told mediapersons that ACP Guruvyur will  inquire  into the allegations of the victim and added that prima facie the police did not get any evidence into the  allegations. Mr  Manikandan told DC  that the police were still inquiring into the complaint and that all the allegations raised at the press conference were baseless. He said that on August 13, the  police received the complaint about the alleged gang-rape held at a house near Thiruvullak-kauv temple near Cherpu in Thrissur in April 2014.  She had also said in the complaint that the CPM councillor had assaulted her  at her house three times in January and February 2015.

Accused denies charges

CPM councillor P.N. Jayanthan, 33,  has dismissed the  gang-rape allegations raised against him and his three  friends,  residents at Minalur near Athani  here, by the alleged victim’s husband.   The councillor who is into construction business said that he had arranged '3 lakh for  the woman’s husband  in January 2015 and that he  was  on good terms with  him,  a cable TV franchisee at Minalur.

“Three weeks ago I received a call demanding Rs 15 lakh and I was threatened  that  I will be maligned if I did not pay the money to the alleged victim and her husband,” Jayanthan said. There was a rift in the relationship over  money dealings between them, he said.   He also said that in the CrPC 164 statement that the victim gave in August  before Wadakkanchery magistrate court,  there was no mention of  gang- rape.

However, the residents of Minalur and those near the house of the victim’s husband at  Athani did not  support the couple while speaking to DC. The two school-going children of the couple are staying with husband’s aged father, who works as a driver after retirement from a state public sector unit at  Athani. The residents say the victim was a native of Ernakulam who  came to stay at  Athani and Minalur after her marriage.