The sensational inflight molestation case which robbed Kerala Congress (J) supremo P J Joseph of his ministership in the LDF Cabinet last year has hit the limelight again.
It has now been confirmed that the inquiry then conducted by Mrs B Sandhya, a senior woman IG of State police, did clearly conclude that Mr Joseph had outraged the modesty of the woman.
It may be recalled that the information that came out then had only quoted the IG as commenting that there was “substance” in the complaint of the victim, a housewife and Chennai-based TV news reader. A copy of the report has now been made available to a lawyer under the provisions of the State Information Act.
The report quotes the victim as saying that the person who was sitting in the seat behind her touched her left breast “intentionally”.
“I would not have got up and complained to the airhostess had it been accidental. I got up and asked him ‘aren’t you ashamed’, at which the man hid his face with a newspaper’’ the report quotes the victim. The “VIP” passenger was later identified as the state PWD minister. Mrs Sandhya concludes that the minister’s act did amount to outraging the modesty of the woman. Mr Joseph had initially denied any such incident had happened on board the Kingfisher Airlines flight from Chennai to Kochi on August 3 last year.
Later he agreed that he may have touched her “accidentally” owing to space constraints between the seats. Later, at the height of the controversy Mr Joseph had to step down almost in a disgraced manner.