The President of the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club, M Radhakrishnan, has been implicated as an accused in a case involving the alleged harassment of a young woman on February 3 near the AKG Junction in the city.
According to a complaint lodged at the Cantonment Police Station by the victim, she was riding her scooter when she was allegedly chased and harassed by a man on a motorbike. The perpetrator reportedly subjected her to verbal abuse and made vulgar gestures, causing distress and fear.
Initially, the identity of the individual was unclear, and the First Information Report (FIR) did not specify the accused. However, following investigations, Radhakrishnan's involvement in the incident was established, leading to his inclusion as an accused in the case.
Police authorities disclosed that CCTV footage helped in identifying Radhakrishnan as the owner of the motorbike involved in the incident. Subsequently, he was summoned to the police station for questioning. While Radhakrishnan admitted to engaging in a verbal altercation with the woman, he denied using abusive language or gestures towards her.
The police are currently seeking witnesses to corroborate the events before formally amending the FIR to include Radhakrishnan's name as an accused.
This is not the first time Radhakrishnan has faced allegations of harassment. In a previous incident, he was accused of intruding into a woman's house accompanied by other individuals, where he reportedly humiliated her and a guest in front of her children.
Allegations included physical assault against the guest and verbal threats directed at the woman, who was his colleague at a newspaper office. Following the registration of a case and subsequent arrest by the police, Radhakrishnan lost his job at the newspaper office. However, he managed to regain his position within the Press Club through subsequent elections.