A probe team constituted by the CPI(M) to investigate the sensational sexual harassment allegation raised by a district secretariat member of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the Marxist party involving one of its prominent MLAs PK Sasi has reportedly found that the ‘nature of sexual harassment was of low-intensity”. The DYFI leader had, in her letter to the party leadership, clearly mentioned that the Shornur MLA had sexually harassed her at the Mannarkad party office and over the phone (many times). Although legally Sasi’s actions amount to ‘rape’, for the CPI(M), which is always on the forefront in the fight for women’s rights, it is ‘low intensity sexual harassment’.
Meanwhile, the party on Monday suspended PK Sasi for six months from the party. By this token punishment the party tries to deflect the criticism it faced in the wake of the controversy. The party has no plans to handover the case to the police.
The party had tried its level best to sweep the issue under the carpet. Senior leader and PB member Brinda Karat has been maintaining silence, even as she has been taking up women’s rights issues elsewhere. Instead of handing over the complaint to the police, the party chose to investigate the complaint internally, much to the chagrin of social activists.
Ironically the party chose Sasi to lead a rally which is being organised to spread awareness about women’s rights. Although the probe team consisting of AK Balan and PK Sreemathy found no ‘sexual harassment of serious nature’ in their investigation, and one of the members blaming it on factionalism in the party, what worries the party is how the complainant would take it.
The case betrayed the duplicity of the CPI(M). Although the National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken cognizance of the matter and has sought a report, the Kerala Women’s commission, headed by CPI (M) Central Committee member MC Josephine, has refused to interfere in the matter.
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