Kozhikode mall incident: Culprits deserved more than one slap, says actress Anumol

Anumol said the attitude of society has to change. Photo: Instagram | anumolofficial | @story_diaries_of_alan

'Ivan Megharoopan' actress Anumol said she is greatly disturbed by the incident that took place in a mall in Kozhikode, adding that she is scared to live in such a mentally unstable society. Speaking to Manoramaonline regarding the sexual assault incident at the mall, Anumol said it is sad that some men still see women as an object that can be touched or groped on their whims and fancy.

“It is important to nurture a society that sees men and women as equals. It is distressing that we still have to speak or raise our voice about such things. It is true that changes are happening in society and there are many organisations that discuss the problems faced by women. All these have brought small changes in our work places. However, society has a whole hasn’t changed much. The comments in the social media are really disturbing.

I am disappointed that the young actress could only slap him once. Such people deserve more. In this incident, two women reacted in two different ways. One of them was in a trauma and didn’t know what to do. However, the other woman reacted strongly. This just reflects the mentality of the young women in our society. There are lots of girls who are too scared to react. No matter what we wear or do not wear, no one has the right to touch our bodies without our consent or permission.

I saw lots of people complaining about the kind of clothes the women wore. We have been living in an extremely patriarchal society for ages. This society believes that women are supposed to obey men. No one knows how to change this mentality. Everyone is human. Each human being should grow up believing that girls have equal rights just like boys. I feel people have become more criminally inclined. The influence of social media or the mental breakdown that happened as a result of post Covid complications must be the reason for that.

Murder, assault and rape have become common these days. I worry whether it would get worse. I wish young kids are taught about the significance of equality. Everyone should understand that women are not mere objects to be groped by men. Besides, the mental state of such men too should be evaluated. If they are mentally ill, they should be given medical treatment. I extend my support to my colleagues who were assaulted at the mall. They shouldn’t get disheartened and move on with courage,” said Anumol.

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