Kozhikode: Akhila Mariyat was reinstated as vice-president of Nadapuram grama panchayat on Tuesday, three weeks after she was forced to step down after her estranged lover damaged her reputation with a social media content.
A Congress enquiry commission found her innocent, and in the re-election to the post of vice president, Akhila secured the votes of all 14 UDF members while the remaining 8 backing the opposition, CPM-led LDF, voted against her. Akhila had sent her resignation letter to the secretary of the panchayat on July 2. She had also sent a note to the District Congress Committee requesting an inquiry to prove her innocence.
Akhila had to endure much since April 18, her wedding day, when her former lover made the attempt to defame her on social media. It was used by the opposition as a tool to launch agitations against her. That incident made her life -- as a politician, and a woman – miserable. “I thought I lost my life, I lost all hope in my life. This was the extreme of what I had been suffering for the past 4 years,” Akhila told Onmanorama.
Akhila says she was tortured mentally and physically by the man after they broke up four years ago. She says he even launched an acid attack on her and tried to put her scooter in danger. That was in addition to repeated blackmails and threats, even of self-harm.
“Have you seen the Malayalam movie Uyare? The main character played by Parvathy Thiruvothu only suffered a portion of what I faced,” Akhila said. “He tried to kill me, he tried to kill himself. He has some personality disorders. I approached the police seeking protection for my life. Many times, I sought reconciliation talks to make him calm and to stop torturing me.”
Akhila, who handled many roles -- that of a Karate trainer, gym trainer, and was preparing to be a teacher at a government-aided school -- had to give up everything following the incident. “Because of him, I was not in a situation to marry anybody,” Akhila said. Her political life too was damaged as the opposition frequently launched agitations, stopping her from attending board meetings and even entering the panchayat office.
After months of harassment, Akhila decided to fight back. She approached the High Court of Kerala and the State Women's Commission. “My party and its leaders supported me a lot. They stood with me during these tough times. But the CPM which claims to be a progressive party, tried to use it as a political tool.
“In future, no other girl should suffer like I did in these three months,” Akhila said.
