A Dalit woman who approached the Kerala Chief Minister’s Office seeking justice after facing 20 hours of mental and physical torture in police custody was chased away without her complaint being read. The woman, Bindu, a domestic worker, was subjected to degrading treatment by the Peroorkada police in Thiruvananthapuram district in connection with a false theft complaint, only to be released after the missing item was found from the complainant’s home. However, Police did not deregister the FIR.
“My Compliant letter threw away” Humiliation at Chief Minister’s office
The incident has sparked public outrage, particularly after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s Political Secretary, P. Sasi, threw away her complaint on the table without reading. According to Bindu, Sasi refused to read her complaint and told her, “If you have stolen, you should return it. If you get a complaint, it is natural to get a call from the police. I have nothing to do with it. If you have a complaint, go to the court or the police.” This incidents occurred amid the state government celebrates the fourth anniversary of its second term with an expensive PR campaign branded as ‘Nav Kerala’ (New Kerala).
The ordeal began on April 23, when Bindu was summoned to the Peroorkada police station following a complaint that a 16-gram gold necklace had gone missing from a home where she was a maid. She says the police subjected her to relentless interrogation and attempted to frame her for the theft, even though there was no evidence linking her to the missing jewellery.
During her 20-hour detention, Bindu alleges she was denied basic rights, barred from contacting her family, deprived of food, and denied access to drinking water. “When I asked for water, I was told to drink from the bathroom. I wasn’t allowed to sleep. The sub inspector threatened to bring my husband and children to the station if I didn’t confess,” she said.
She was also stripped and searched multiple times and subjected to obscene and abusive language. When her husband eventually arrived with food, the police claimed it might be poisoned and refused to let her eat. “I was called a thief and treated worse than a criminal,” Bindu said.
Bindu was released the following day only after the complainants informed the police that the missing gold had been found. “Even after being proven innocent, the police continued to threaten me and told me not to stay in the police station area” she added. Despite this, the FIR filed against her was not withdrawn.
Seeking accountability, Bindu, accompanied by her lawyer, went to the Chief Minister’s Office on May 3 to demand action against the police and the cancellation of the FIR. However, she says she faced further humiliation there. However, GS Prasad, sub inspector of Peroorkada station was suspended to save the face government amid fourth year celebrations. The CPI(M) led government has since released a statement claiming that no insult occurred during Bindu’s visit to the CM’s office.
“Money only for CM’s children & son-in-law, neglecting Dalits- Rajeev Chandrashekhar
Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar has strongly criticised the Pinarayi Vijayan-led left government over the police atrocity against Bindu. Terming the incident a “shocking reminder” of the ongoing cruelty faced by Dalits in the state, Chandrasekhar alleged that the decade of Left rule has been marked by neglect, marginalisation, and repeated injustice towards Scheduled Caste communities, especially women. “This is not just about one case, it represents a systemic failure,” he stated.
Chandrasekhar said that after the incident, Bindu approached senior CPM leader P. Shashi, political secretary of CM Pinarayi Vijayan. But she met with rejection and indifference. He condemned the government’s lack of response, saying it added “insult to injury.” Chandrashekhar accused the state government of misusing public funds for extravagant celebrations marking its time in office, while failing to allocate adequate resources for Dalit welfare. Referring Pinarayi Vijayan’s Daughter Veena Vijayan and son-in-law and Minster Muhammad Riyas, Chandrashekhar said “There is always money for the Chief Minister’s children and son-in-law, but none for the safety and development of Scheduled Castes”.
He also attacked the Congress, the CPI(M)’s ally in the I.N.D.I Alliance, stating that “For over 70 years in Kerala, both the Congress and the Left have used Dalits as a vote bank,” he said. “They have used the police to commit atrocities, looted funds meant for their development and denied them basic dignity.”
Asserting that Dalits are not voiceless, Chandrasekhar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP are their true voice. Reaffirming the BJP’s commitment to Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, he said Dalit empowerment is central to the party’s vision for a Viksit Kerala. “It’s time for change,” he concluded. “Time to end the injustice faced by Bindu and countless others. Time to deliver real development, dignity, and justice to every Dalit individual in Kerala” he added.
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