Malayalam Newspaper Sacks Employee For Assaulting Woman Journalist

Kerala Kaumudi Sacks M Radhakrishnan: A Kerala-based Malayalam daily fired an employee named M Radhakrishnan after reports of his allegedly assaulting a woman journalist, rioting and trespassing.

The accused person, M Radhakrishnan is the secretary of Thiruvananthapuram Press Club. He used to work at Kerala Kaumudi as a proofreader and was out on bail in connection with a case filed against him in December 2019. Radhakrishnan was accused of barging into a woman journalists house and assaulting her.

Kerala Kaumudi Sacks M Radhakrishnan:

The newspaper conducted an internal inquiry in the matter and released its statement. According to Indian Express, the Malayam daily wrote, “The acts committed by you (Radhakrishnan) are very serious and grave. There is no justification for entering into the residential house of a female employee during night making allegation of illicit relations that too with another employee of the company…the disciplinary authority do not find any reasons to take a lenient view in a remote chance that the entire issue happened outside the premises of the company since the issue is having direct impact on the moral and discipline of the company.”

According to the survivor, woman's statement in an email sent to the Press Club, the accused barged into her house with other men and started to ask about the man who had been visiting her on November 30, 2019. When the journalist explained that the man is a family friend, Radhakrishnan allegedly accused her of 'immoral activity'. At the time, the woman's children were also present.

The survivor also alleged that Radhakrishnan dragged her friend and assaulted him. During the scuffle between the three, the accused allegedly pushed the survivor. The woman's husband was not at the house at the time and was reportedly working late.

After the incident, the accused was arrested and was charged under sections 147, 143, 323, 451,354 and 342 of the Indian Penal Code. He was ousted from the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ). He was still the secretary at Thiruvananthapuram Press Club since the court granted him bail.