Guilty will be punished, says A K Balan

Thiruvananthapuram: While chief minister Mr Pinarayi Vijayan declined to comment on the arrest of two dalit women along with a one-and-a-half year old child, the Minister for Welfare of SC/ST and Backward Classes Mr A. K. Balan said stern action would be taken if cops are found guilty of harassing the women.

At a press conference in Delhi, Mr Vijayan who also holds the home portfolio said he was not aware of the arrest of the women. “I have to study the matter,” he said. The two women, who were released on bail on saturday evening, had earlier accused the CPM workers of making casteist remarks against them and assaulting their father.

CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan termed the incident as propaganda against his party. He said the women had gone to the police station on their own. “The cops produced them before the court. It was the court that sent them to custody,” he said.

The CPM defended the action against the two women alleging that they had trespassed into their office and assaulted their workers on June 11. The party alleged that the accused had beaten up their workers with logs.