Thiruvananthapuaram: Kerala Women's Commission chairperson M C Josephine has resigned as protests over her insensitive response to a complainant mounted.
The Opposition had called for Josephine's immediate removal soon after her harsh response was aired live on TV during a phone-in programme organised by Manorama News against dowry and its attendant evils.
The decision on her resignation was taken at a CPI(M) State Secretariat held here on Friday.
Josephine has been in the eye of a storm over her alleged insensitive remarks to a complainant of domestic violence, with demands growing for her resignation.
Josephine, while attending a live television show on Wednesday, asked a woman, who alleged that she was being harassed by her husband and mother-in-law, if she had filed a police complaint against them.
When the woman replied in the negative, Josephine could be seen reacting angrily, and asked her to "suffer" for not approaching the police.
The woman told her that she was married since 2014 and had no children and alleged she was constantly being assaulted by her husband and mother-in-law.
The video of the women panel chief's behaviour on live TV has gone viral on the social media, with demands pouring in for her resignation, even from netizens with left leanings, on her 'insensitive' attitude.
Josephine, a central committee member of the ruling CPI (M), in a press statement, later expressed regret.
Nonetheless, Josephine's abrasive manner has not come as a surprise. Kerala is by now familiar with the Women's Commission chairperson's outbursts against victims and strange responses.
In 2018, when a female DYFI member accused former CPM MLA P K Sasi of sexual abuse, Josephine sought to approach the crime as if it was something trivial. "This is nothing new," she said. "We are all human beings, mistakes do happen," she added. She also refused to take up the case saying the victim had not lodged a complaint with the Women's Commission. This, when the National Commission for Women (NCW) had already taken cognisance of the case.
Josephine then went on to make the controversial remark that the CPM had its own system to handle such complaints.
Then, in January this year, Josephine provoked deep anger when she insisted that a 89-year-old, a victim of a physical assault, appear before the Commission. The old lady, through an emissary, had informed the Commission that she was unable to travel.
The tenure of the Women's Commission headed by her was set to expire in a few months.
