Kochi: The arrest of a migrant laborer accused of killing Jisha puts paid to statewide protests and damaging allegations that roiled Kerala amid a hectic election campaign.
The murder of the law student at her ramshackle house near Perumbavoor on April 28, just 18 days short of the assembly election, hogged national headlines for the brutal similarities with the rape and murder of “Nirbhaya” in Delhi.
The police were in the dock for their ham-handed treatment of the murder and their inability to pin the blame. The lame-duck United Democratic Front government struggled to defend the police amid a campaign that the state was no longer safe for women.
The horrific murder was not reported in any media for three days, until Jisha’s classmates in the Government Law College, Ernakulam visited her house and brought the tragedy to public notice. Women’s safety was suddenly the most current poll issue and every leader was talking about it. Political leaders of all hues rushed to the Perumbavoor hospital where Jisha’s grieving mother was admitted to.
Even the opposition Left Democratic Front found itself in a fix when Jisha’s mother Rajeswari accused Perumbavoor MLA Saju Paul, who belonged to the CPM, of turning a blind eye towards their petitions. She raised the allegation before Opposition Leader V.S. Achuthanandan and repeated it to CPM MP Innocent.
The CPM thinks that the allegations contributed to the defeat of Paul.
The issue refused to die down even after the polls. UDF convener P.P. Thankachan found himself under a cloud when Jomon Puthanpurakkal petitioned the Chief Minister to inquire the Congress leader’s role in the murder. The police did so.
Thankachan has filed a defamation petition against Jomon. Jisha’s father Pappu has also filed a complaint against Jomon.