The Kerala Women’s Commission has taken serious note of the petitioner in the Pantheerankavu domestic violence case retracting her statement against the accused, according to Commission Chairperson P. Sathidevi.
She was speaking after the commission’s district-level sitting in Kakkanad. The circumstances in which she changed her statement should be closely examined and investigated, she said.
Ms. Sathidevi recalled how the petitioner had openly shared her hardships when she visited the petitioner at her home in North Paravur last month. The petitioner had also spoken to the commission’s counsellor. Whether she was coerced into changing her statement should be examined. Steps should be taken to track her down and complete the investigation in a free and fair manner, she said.
The petitioner’s family had lodged a complaint with the Vadakkekara police after she turned incommunicado since last Sunday, following her departure to rejoin work in Thiruvananthapuram on June 3. Since then, she had posted a couple of videos on YouTube retracting her allegations of domestic violence against husband Rahul P. Gopal, who had reportedly fled to Germany, and family. Instead, she put the blame on her family and lawyer for having forced to raise the allegations.
The commission had sought a report from the District Police Chief (Kozhikode) after the complaint of domestic violence came before it. The petitioner retracted her statement given before the Kozhikode First Class Judicial Magistrate Court and the police even as the investigation was under way. Ms. Sathidevi said efforts seem under way for submitting an affidavit before the court retracting the statement thus doing away with the case completely.
Meanwhile, the Vadakkekara police have intensified search to track down the petitioner. So far, teams have been to Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. “All her three mobile phone numbers remain switched off. We are planning to further intensify our scientific investigation with the help of cyber experts. We remain confident of tracking her down sooner than later,” said police sources.
