Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram (TVM) Press Club secretary M Radhakrishan was arrested Thursday for alleged moral policing and assaulting a woman journalist and her male friend recently, police said. Radhakrishnan was taken into custody from the club building here Thursday evening.
The arrest was made after a group of women journalists began a protest at the club since morning demanding Radhakrishan’s ouster from the post of secretary and demanded his arrest based on the complaint of the woman journalist.
The Network of Women in Media (NWMI), India, also lodged a complaint with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Kerala Women’s Commission demanding stern action against Radhakrishan.
However, rejecting the charges, Radhakrishnan, after the arrest, claimed that he had actually tried to protect the woman journalist and her family.
The Press Club secretary was booked Tuesday for allegedly assaulting the journalist and her male friend for visiting her house late in the evening, police said.
According to police, the woman journalist in a complaint said her male friend had visited her residence November 30. She alleged that Radhakrishnan had barged into her house with some people and also forcibly brought her friend there, questioning why he had visited her so late.
In the melee, Radhakrishan shoved the woman journalist aside and assaulted the friend in front of her children, she alleged and accused him of moral policing.
Based on the complaint, police booked him on charges of wrongful confinement, house-trespass in order to commit offence and voluntarily causing hurt.
The Kerala Women’s Commission also on its own registered a case against Radhakrishnan and some others.
PTI
