A local BJP leader in Kerala’s Kannur district who was arrested for allegedly raping a Class 4 girl, who was his student, has got bail from a Thalassery court. This comes days after the Crime Branch, which is probing the case, submitted a chargesheet to the court without including charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Padmarajan K, president of BJP’s Thrippangottur local committee near Palathayi in Kannur, was arrested in April after being accused in the sexual assault case. Padmarajan had allegedly sexually assaulted the girl multiple times in the school and had threatened her to not disclose the abuse.
Though he was arrested by the Kannur police under sections 376 (Punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code and section 5 (Aggravated penetrative sexual assault), and section 6 (Punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO Act, the Crime Branch, which took over the investigation on Tuesday, submitted a partial chargesheet in the court without POCSO charges. It is following this that the accused got bail from the Thalassery Additional District Court.
It has also been reported that the girl gave a statement to the police that the man had sexually assaulted her after calling her to the school on a holiday.
According to reports, the Crime Branch told the court that it needs time to investigate more to bring POCSO charges against the accused. The chargesheet reportedly includes only sections of the Juvenile Justice Act and the Indian Penal Code.
Opposition parties like the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League had slammed the state government and police for submitting the chargesheet without POCSO charges. Notably, the arrest of the BJP leader in April was recorded after widespread protests. Minister KK Shailaja, who heads Woman and Child Development, had also condemned the police delay in the case.
Watch classmate of the assaulted girl, stating about the alleged crime: