Sasthamkotta: A leader of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) has been arrested on the charge of sexually assaulting a woman who is a Student Federation of India (SFI) worker and belongs to the scheduled community.
The accused, Visakh Kallada (27), a member of the DYFI West Kallada regional committee, Kadapuzha unit secretary, and CPM Koyikkalbhagam branch committee member, allegedly falsely promised to marry her and extorted Rs 9 lakh.
It is claimed that the accused established intimacy with the victim through the SFI's 'Mathrukam' women's association programme and sexually assaulted her in a bamboo grove on the shore of Sasthamkotta lake. He is also accused of extorting money from her after promising to marry her. The allegations include threats against the girl, who intended to file a complaint with the police, to prevent her from doing so. The police stated that the accused, arrested under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, has been produced in court and remanded.