Following a worrying rise in the number of stalking cases taking place in Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has broken the government’s silence on the issue, saying that they are viewing the matter seriously.
Vijayan was responding to a question asked by Trikaripur MLA M Rajagopal in the State Assembly, on Monday, 3 February, reported The News Minute.
Since 2016, Vijayan said, there have been eight cases of men stalking and murdering women in the state. The chief minister went on to assure the assembly that “the government views such cases seriously.”
Vijayan elaborated saying that the state government was taking the necessary action as per the law. Referring to the eight cases filed since 2016, he mentioned that three accused men had died, five others were arrested and facing appropriate legal action. Other cases are in various stages of investigation.
Lack of Emotional Intelligence a Major Cause
“As a society, there is an urgent need to take precautions to prevent such crimes in future. In many cases, we lose young people to such crimes,” said the chief minister.
“Teachers must be trained to identify developmental, emotional and behavioural issues that children face, as well as usage of drugs among youth, intervene and take necessary steps as per the government’s health policy.”Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala Chief Minister
The chief minister detailed the plan to be implemented by Kerala’s education department, recommending that more time be spent with children to sensitise them, and increase awareness among parents about such crimes.
“By adopting and following such precautions, the government believes such crimes can be curbed. We are working towards this,” the CM said.
Spurt in Stalking Cases in Kerala
Since 2016-17, there has been a major spurt in the cases of stalking taking place in Kerala. As reported by various media outlets, many of the cases ended up with the stalkers murdering their targets.
In January this year, Ashika, 19, was murdered by her stalker Anu, who then killed himself. Her parents had complained to the police about the stalking, who had arranged a ‘compromise meeting’, in which Anu promised to not cause further trouble to Ashika.
Barely a day after this incident, a 17-year-old girl was abducted from her school by her stalker, murdered, and the body dumped in a tea estate in Tamil Nadu.
Soumya Pushpakaran, a Civil Police Officer in Alappuzha, was returning home from work when she was stabbed and then set afire by her stalker Ajaz in June 2019. Kavitha Vijaykumar, 20, a BTech student was murdered by her stalker, Ajin Reji Mathew, in March 2019. In April of the same year, Neethu, 21, from Thrissur, in a similar incident, was killed by Nidheesh after she refused to marry him.
(With inputs from The News MInute)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)