The India Union Muslim League (IUML) removed PP Shyjal, the Kerala Vice President of the Muslim Student Federation (MSF), the party’s student wing, for supporting Haritha, which is the women’s student wing on Wednesday, September 15. Shyjal was removed from the post after he criticised MSF and IUML leaders publicly on Monday. The IUML had last week dissolved the state committee of Haritha for raising sexual harassment allegations against two leaders of the MSF. In its press release announcing Shyjal’s removal from the post, IUML stated that he had been relieved for ‘indiscipline’.
Earlier there were reports that many MSF leaders including Shyjal had expressed their dissent in taking action against the complainants. They had also requested IUML to take appropriate action against the accused leaders. Speaking to the media on Monday, September 13, Shyjal said, "I have informed my stand clearly inside the party earlier itself. They (Haritha leaders who raised sexual allegations) did not get justice is what I want to tell. I have been on the side of the truth."
It was on September 8 that the IUML leadership dissolved the Haritha state committee for ‘repeated acts of indiscipline’, and later appointed a new committee with women leaders who did not sign the complaint filed with the state women's commission. The sexual harassment allegations were against MSF state president PK Navas and Malappuram District General Secretary V Abdul Vahab. Since IUML did not take any action on the complaint, 10 women leaders of Haritha approached the state women's commission, following which the issue came to public attention. The complaint alleged that Navas and Vahab had spoken to women leaders in a vulgar manner during the state leadership meet of the MSF held in Kozhikode on June 22. Haritha leaders alleged that they were called "infertile feminists" and Navas said that "even prostitutes" have opinions and they could express their opinions too. After the women went public, the IUML took action against them.