AIDWA Demands Kunhalikutty's Resignation

THE All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) demanded the resignation of P K Kunhalikutty, industry minister in the Kerala government and state secretary of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) after one of the victims in an eight-year-old sex scandal in the state went public yesterday alleging his involvement.

At a press conference held in New Delhi on October 29, AIDWA  general secretary, Brinda Karat, AIDWA Kerala state unit general secretary, P K Srimathy, president M C Josephine made this demand. In a statement issued, the AIDWA leaders said the case showed the "tremendous pressure" that a victim, more so a minor, faces when the persons who are her abusers are important people.

It said in case after case in Kerala, including Killiroor and Suryanelli and elsewhere as in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, politicians who are involved in cases of sexual assault and abuse get away because they use their power and money to silence the victims.

“In the present case also Kunhalikutty's involvement was known and there was strong circumstantial evidence to prove it but in the absence of the statement of the victim, the case could not proceed,” stated AIDWA.

Now that the reasons for her silence are known, it is "only appropriate for the said minister to tender his resignation on moral grounds," it said.

According to the victim, who was only 14 years old when she allegedly underwent sexual abuse, her guardians had come to an agreement so she had to keep quiet. The case could not proceed following the ambiguous statements of the victim then. (INN)