Aswathi, a social activist who had accompanied Liga’s partner and sister in their desperate search, stood by the allegations and said that she was pained by the chief minister’s attempts to portray her as a problem maker.Thiruvananthapuram: Aswathy Jwala was in the news recently after she claimed the cops and the government were lax in tracing Liga Skromane, the Latvian woman who was found dead weeks after she went missing during her stay in the state. She also raised the hackles of the ruling dispensation by disclosing in public that Liga's kin and she were treated insensitively when they tried to meet the chief minister and the Director General of Police recently.
As reports came in that the cops are getting back at Aswathy on the basis of a complaint, social media vented its ire on the government. The cops are inquiring if she had tried to raise funds on the pretext of carrying out a search for Liga. People stand by Aswathy as she was a known figure in Kerala even before the Liga case happened. A recipient of the state government's 'Youth Icon' award in 2015, Aswathy has over a decade's experience in social work.
A native of Muttathara in Thiruvananthapuram, Aswathy Nair (32) took up social work while studying law. Her Jwala Foundation was established after realising the advantages of organised formal philanthropy. In the past, her attempt to supply food to patients at the General Hospital was stopped by the authorities. This setback made her realise that an organisation needs to be formed to carry out effective charitable work.
A vehicle carrying lunch from the foundation travels 30 km to distribute food to 200 people. The foundation has helped over 2,000 people from the streets to seek treatment in hospitals.
Aiming to provide a livelihood, the foundation has also donated hand-carts to nearly 100 people.
"We don't collect funds," said Aswathy, a mother of two -- Adithyan (13) and Kashinath (2).
“Several people, including former speaker G Karthikeyan, had come forward with help," she added.
Thirty people are associated with the foundation as volunteers. She also enjoys the support of her husband Manoj, an electrician.
Aswathy and her siblings were raised by their mother, who worked as a domestic help. Her elder brother Rajesh runs a workshop, while younger sister is a medical representative.
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