It has come to the notice of the Network of Women in Media, India that CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran has been invited as a guest at a ‘Meet the Press’ programme at the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club on April 1 2021 — a programme that has been organised by a man facing an allegation of sexual harassment. The man in question, M Radhakrishnan, has been accused of breaking into a fellow female journalist’s house, traumatising her and her children, and moral policing her.
The incident took place in 2019 and the case is still under investigation at the Pettah police station. An FIR has been filed against him under IPC sections 341(wrongful restraint), 451 (house-trespassing), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
We, at the Network of Women in Media India (NWMI), were relieved when M Radhakrishnan was ousted from the Press Club following days of protests by several female journalists. However, it now seems that Radhakrishnan is back at the helm of the Press Club and invitations to the programme came from “Press Club Secretary M Radhakrishnan” and “Press Club President Sonichan”.
We wonder if the CPI is aware of the complaint against Radhakrishnan and the campaign by scores of women journalists in Kerala to ensure justice for the survivor. NWMI hopes the CPI state leadership will take note of this, and refuse to participate or share the stage with a man who has been accused of harassing a colleague.
The Network of Women in Media, India
31 March 2021
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