Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the government would take strong measures to ensure protection for women.
Reacting to questions from reporters here on Saturday, the Chief Minister said his government would go after anyone who indulges in sexual exploitation of women and that the same would apply to the case in question. “Any attack on women will be sternly dealt with. Howsoever powerful the person whose hands that extend towards women, the government would intervene to tie it down and mete appropriate punishment. This is a government committed to women’s safety and equal opportunity for women,” Mr. Vijayan said in a Facebook post later in the evening, without any specific mention of the arrest of Congress legislator M. Vincent.
Mr. Vijayan said it was heartening to see women beginning to feel that they have the support of the government whenever they face attacks. “It is this sense of security that enables them to take their complaints about harassment before the law. The practice of stern intervention in such complaints would continue,” the Chief Minister said.
Former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan also came down heavily on Mr. Vincent and asked him, in a statement, to vacate his Assembly seat so as not to bring disrepute to the House. “It is a shame that an MLA has been arrested for sexual harassment of a woman. He should not try to cling on to his membership of the House using legal loopholes,” Mr. Achuthanandan said.
Although in their initial reaction to the development, Congress’ women leaders State Mahila Congress president Bindu Krishna and her predecessor Shanimol Usman demanded Mr. Vincent’s resignation, they fell silent once the party State leadership took the stand that Mr. Vincent’s arrest was political vendetta and there was no reason for him to resign. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president M.M. Hassan said the party would wait for the police proceedings against Mr. Vincent play out before taking a stand.
