Palakkad: It was the day after the Supreme Court pronounced its verdict in the Soumya case. Her house at Koonathara in Shoranur, packed with people the day before, looked desolate but for two policemen and a few visitors on Friday. It stood near the railway tracks, close enough for the rattle and whistle of trains to reach it. “The sound reminds us of the darkest days in our life. It leads us to sleepless nights,” said Soumya’s mother, Sumathi.
As debates rage over the possibility of a capital punishment for Govindachamy, she said that she would continue to fight for justice. “Not only for my daughter but all daughters in the country,” she added. She wanted every girl to speak out against harassment, and not remain silent. “Soumya was bold enough to react against such harassments,” she said.
Sumathi held on to her view that there were flaws in the appointment of the public prosecutor. She was not informed about it, she said and added that she did not want to politicise the issue. The memories of her daughter linger in the house. Soumya was kind to all and could never bear hunger pangs or injustice, the mother recalled. On the day after the verdict, her words were fiery.
