Kerala: CPI(M) leader accused of sexually harassing woman colleague; party refuses to take complaint

A Communist woman activist raised allegations against a leader within the party of sexual harassment in the Alappuzha unit. The senior party workers have refused to accept her complaint.

Alappuzha: The CPI(M) has once more been upset by allegations of sexual harassment. The complaint has been levelled against a member of the Alappuzha Area Committee. A woman Communist party activist has made serious allegations against a leader within the party. Additionally, she said that the Communist party leaders rejected her report of sexual harassment. The accused is a former government worker.

The accused is in charge of a local committee in the coastal region to which the victim also belongs. The woman complained that the leader had asked her to "favour him" so that she might advance in the party hierarchy. The leader allegedly offered to meet with her privately and asked her to let him know if her husband was out of the home.

She went to the district leadership with a complaint, but the top leader rejected it and told her to return right away. She has not yet reported anything to the police as she prefers to seek a solution within the party platform.

The incident caused the CPI(M) in Alappuzha yet another setback. The party has already suffered from factionalism among senior leaders, allegations of corruption, and even tobacco smuggling. To address the growing discontent among party members at the grassroots against the district leadership, the party recently undertook an organisational overhaul.

The Alappuzha North and Alappuzha South committees were combined, and the Haripad, Alappuzha North, and Alappuzha South area committees were disbanded and replaced with ad hoc committees. Additionally, the party removed A Shanavas, a CPM councillor in the Alappuzha Municipality, for his suspected involvement in a tobacco smuggling racket.