Woman journos urge leaders to boycott gender criminal

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Network of Women in Media (NWMI) has urged political and cultural leaders not to associate with the activities of Trivandrum Press Club secretary M Radhakrishnan. The statement was issued in the backdrop of senior political leaders including Ramesh Chennithala and A Vijayaraghavan sharing the dais with Radhakrishnan, who is facing trial in a moral policing case. 

In a statement, the NWMI said friends of Radhakrishnan were trying to whitewash his crime and provide him legitimacy by getting political leaders invited to the functions coordinated by him.

“The invites are extended on behalf of a colleague of Radhakrishnan in the press club who works for a major daily. Many leaders like A K Antony, Kanam Rajendran, Binoy Viswam and V Sivankutty have shown the caution of not honouring these invites. What will be the message a political leader wants to convey by sharing dais with a gender criminal?” the statement asked. 

Radhakrishnan is the first accused in an assault and house trespass case filed by a woman journalist in 2019. He was chargesheeted and is facing trial in the case. Though the press club general body expelled him, he made a re-entry with the help of a lower court order last month.  A host of cultural leaders, led by writers K Satchidanandan, K R Meera and J Devika, have endorsed the NWMI statement.