Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has an unexpected challenger in his constituency in the upcoming state polls. Though few doubt his poll prospects as the results are announced on May 2, nearly a month after the April 6 voting, the opposition has decided to exploit the electoral contest in the Dharmadom seat to highlight the injustice meted out to the mother of two minor girls, who were found dead under suspicious circumstances at their home in Walayar a few years ago.
On Tuesday the woman announced she will contest against Pinarayi Vijayan from the Dharmadom legislative assembly constituency in Kannur district. Soon, the Congress showed interest in supporting her in the electoral fight.
The woman has been demanding a fair probe into the deaths and punishment to police personnel who apparently tried to scuttle the probe so that the accused who have links to a Left party could be saved. She has been targetting the CM for not keeping his word to her on bringing to book these cops.
Amidst her pursuit for justice the Central Bureau of Investigation has taken up the probe into the sensational case, also known as the Walayar case.
Here she speaks to Malayala Manorama on her electoral fight.
Why are you contesting against the chief minister? What message do you wish to convey with this?
Though I literally begged to the chief minister my children have not got justice. I view this as an opportunity to directly meet him and ask this question. The CM had given his word that action would be taken against the officers who had scuttled the case. But how honest was the CM's reply? When I reached Dharmadom as part of the 'Walayar Neethi Yathra', I told mothers to ask the candidates if the Walayar girls got justice. After that several people called me. They asked shouldn’t the election can be viewed as an opportunity to raise the question directly.
(The eldest child had died on January 13, 2017, while the younger one died on March 4, 2017. The POCSO court in Palakkad had acquitted the accused in October 2019 citing lack of evidence.)
The case has been handed over to the CBI as per your demands. Then why is this difference of opinion with the government?
I lost my two children. The government handed over only the case of the elder child to the CBI. I had to go to the court again, seeking to hand over the youngest child’s case to the CBI. An official, who made derogatory remarks about the children, was given promotion. Those who tried to coerce the father to own up the crime are still in service.
Would you pull out from the election if the government gives an assurance that your other demands would also be accepted ?
The government has not fulfilled any of the assurances given so far. Register a criminal case against the officers who scuttled the case and give us a copy of the FIR. Then I will think about it.
What if the BJP and the UDF back you?
I will not accept the support of the Sangh Parivar. I will accept the support of anyone else, including the UDF. But I will contest as an Independent candidate.
What was the agreement reached during the talks held with the CM when (Dalit community leader) Punnala Sreekumar also accompanied you?
While talking to the media after meeting the CM, Sreekumar said that the chief minister had assured that action would be taken against the officers who scuttled the case and the government was ready for a probe into the case by any agency of the family's choice. He also said that these were the demands raised in the letter submitted to the CM. As I am illiterate I believed this. Only after the DySP was given promotion, I realised that this was not the truth. Punnala Sreekumar did not call again; maybe because of guilt.
(Punnala Sreekumar is the General Secretary of the Kerala Pulayar Maha Sabha, Kerala's largest Dalit organisation. Earlier, she had alleged that Sreekumar had harmed the chances of justice for her children with the promise of arranging a meeting with the chief minister. Punnala Sreekumar's supporters took me to Thiruvananthapuram saying they had arranged for a meeting with the chief minister, but that was a conspiracy to ensure that I did not depose before the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, she had said last October.)
