Police problems might put Kerala govt on back foot

The left-front government in Kerala is in the defensive over the brutal daylight murder of a woman police official by a colleague and disappearance of a police officer following a tiff with a superior officer.

The Opposition Congress has already questioned the government over these issues. The brutal killing of the woman police personnel also raises serious questions over women's safety in Kerala. These issues are likely to rock in the Kerala Assembly in the ongoing session.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Mullapally Ramachandran has already demanded Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to give up the home portfolio. "A government that has been highlighting gender justice and women safety could not even ensure the safety of woman police personnel," the PCC president said in a statement.

According to police data, about 13,000 to 15,000 crimes against women were reported in Kerala every year. While 15,114 cases of crime against women were registered in 2016, in 2017 it was 14,263 and in 2018 it was 13,736. Till April this year, 4,653 cases of crime against women were registered in the state.

Opposition leader Ramesh Channithala alleged that the lack of effective leadership was the reason of the unfortunate incidents happening in the state police.