Kasargod, 14 Jan (H.S): Police have registered a case against a senior local leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) following a complaint by a homemaker alleging long-term sexual abuse and intimidation. The accused has been identified as S. Sudhakaran, a member of the Enmakaje grama panchayat, an aided school teacher, and a former local secretary of the CPI(M) in Kumbla.

The case was registered by the Kasaragod Women’s Police Station about a week after the woman submitted a detailed complaint to the District Police Chief and the Director General of Police (DGP). In her complaint, the woman alleged that she had been subjected to sexual exploitation by Sudhakaran for nearly three decades.

According to the complaint, the abuse began after the accused allegedly promised to marry her and sexually exploited her on that assurance. She claimed that he later went back on the promise, after which she married another person. Despite this, the harassment allegedly continued, with the accused threatening to kill her and her children if she revealed the incidents.

The complainant further alleged that Sudhakaran secretly recorded and shared nude visuals, including footage purportedly taken from a school room. She also accused him of repeatedly coercing and assaulting her at lodges, using threats and intimidation to ensure her silence.

Following the allegations, the CPI(M) suspended Sudhakaran from the party and constituted a three-member commission to conduct an internal inquiry. The police action comes while the party-level probe is still under way.

Sudhakaran was earlier convicted in the Jabbar murder case and had served a prison sentence. He was released after a higher court set aside the conviction. An appeal against the High Court verdict is currently pending before the Supreme Court.

Police said further investigation is under way and that legal action will be taken based on the evidence gathered.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman