The people of Churakkulam village near Vandiperiyar of Idukki district wailed as the funeral was held for a six-year-old, the daughter of tea plantation laborers. Amongst the many who mourned her loss was 22-year-old Arjun, a local Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) worker, and the girl\u2019s neighbor.<\/p>\n
People at the burial site clearly recall Arjun sobbing loudly, telling those gathered that he loved the little girl whom he used to play with. Noone had an ounce of suspicion that this young man “mourning” was actually her predator.<\/p>\n
The police say Arjun, a popular face at various citizen campaigns, was sexually abusing the child since she was three years old. The final incident happened on June 30. Initially, it was assumed that the girl choked by mistake while playing. She was alone at home when her parents went to work early in the morning at a plantation in Churakkulam. Her elder brother reached home at 3 pm and discovered her body. Later, the police arrived and sent the body for post-mortem to Idukki Medical College, which found evidence of the sexual assault. Subsequently, people in the neighborhood were questioned.<\/p>\n
According to the police, Arjun gave them a statement that he hadn’t seen the girl for two days. He even helped the family of the girl conduct her funeral and brought tarpaulin to create a shed where food could be served for those visiting the family. However, his statement to the police was apparently false, as a relative told the investigators that the girl was with Arjun earlier on that day. Police say that they have more evidence to prove the case against Arjun including forensic one.<\/p>\n
Apparently, the child was hanged to death in Kerala’s Idukki by the leader of the youth wing of the CPI(M) after he had raped her.<\/p>\n
The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan has been criticized for his selective silence over the heinous crime whereas when the Kathua rape happened, he was very vocal about it.<\/p>\n
Statistics reveal Kerala is not a safe haven for women anymore:<\/p>\n
– 23,002 Molestation
\n– 10,433 Rapes
\n– 6,220 Child rapes
\n– 75,180 Cognizable crimes against women and 20,497 against children<\/p>\n
And people in Kerala conclude that Dalit women are easy targets.<\/p>\n