In response to increasing crimes against women, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has warned perpetrators of strict action and stringent punishment for carrying out any atrocities on women who have rejected their love proposals.
Recently, a 24-year-old dental college student in the Ernakulam district of Kerala was shot dead in broad daylight by a man using a pistol on July 30, 2021. The man, who had been the student’s social media friend, shot and killed himself soon after. There have, in recent months, been a long spate of such unfortunate incidents in Kerala, where spurned lovers and stalkers have turned violent against women who rejected them.
The CM has revealed to the state assembly that the state police will monitor men who have a history of harassing, stalking, or committing violent crimes against women. By keeping regular tabs on them, the state’s law and order will try to ensure that these men are not planning or carrying out any extreme atrocities against the women who have spurned them.
This warning statement by Vijayan is quite significant, especially since he has shifted the focus on the psychological aspect behind these crimes against women, and laid equal importance on tracking cyber-stalking and cyber-crimes better. He also pointed out that due to the rise in brutal violence against women in North Indian states in recent years, the Indian Penal Code has been updated to ensure the maximum punishment will be meted out to the guilty men.