Love is not a form of authority to endanger life: Kerala CM Vijayan

On June 17, Manjeri native Vineesh stabbed a 21-year old after she rejected him

Everyone has the right to decide on how to live and with whom to live and love is not a form of authority to endanger life, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Monday.

He was responding to a submission in the state Assembly with regard to a case in which a spurned lover stabbed to death a 21-year old woman in June this year.

Vijayan's reply came on a submission by IUML Perinthalmanna legislator Najeeb Kanthapuram who sought compensation for Malappuram native Balachandran, who lost his daughter Drishya, killed by Manjeri native Vineesh on June17.

Kanthapuram also sought compensation for Balachandran, whose shop was allegedly burnt down by the accused.

Vijayan said police have registered a separate case for burning down the shop and recorded a statement that Balachandran suffered a loss to the tune of Rs 50 lakh and that the Perinthalmanna Public Works department is assessing the estimated loss.

"On June 17, Manjeri native Vineesh had barged into the house of the victim and stabbed her to death. He also injured her sister. The culprit was arrested on the same day itself. He had confessed to the crime saying he did so because the victim rejected his advances," Vijayan said.

The chief minister said brutal acts like this cannot be justified by any means in a civilised society and they should be strongly opposedas in the cases of honour killings.

"Everyone has the right to decide on how to live and with whom to live and no one can bypass this right to impose their will on others. Love is not any form of authority to endanger life. We must take all necessary steps to counter the tendencies to commit murder when a relationship is supposed to be formed with mutual consent," Vijayn told the Assembly.

The 21-year old law student was stabbed to death on June17 morning by Vineesh who had also injured her sister too.

The woman died on the spot and her 13-year old sister, who tried to intervene when the accused attacked, was seriously injured.

Though he tried to flee the scene in an autorickshaw later, local people caught him and handed over to police.

He had alsoset ablaze a shop owned by Balachandran, the victim's father, in Perinthalmanna, on June 16 night.