Thiruvananthapuram: CPM state committee on Saturday did not consider the allegations of sexual harassment against Shoranur MLA P. K. Sasi and the findings of the inquiry commission comprising P. K. Sreemathy and A. K. Balan.
Party sources said the issue was not discussed as the probe report had not been finalised yet and more statements were to be recorded. The next state committee meeting is scheduled to be held only in November.
The meeting on Saturday discussed Sabarimala issues and the strategy to counter the ongoing agitation against the government. Even the secretariat which was held ahead of the state committee meeting, skipped Sasi issue.
The DYFI district leader had filed the complaint against Sasi with the state secretariat on August 14. She had accused the MLA of making sexist remarks and demanding sexual favours during the DYFI conference.
The complaint is based on the incident that took place in December 2017. Various lower committees had discouraged her following which she approached the state secretariat. But even the secretariat sat over the complaint for two weeks after she mailed a copy to party general secretary Sitaram Yechury. The very next day the party constituted the inquiry commission comprising Balan and Sreemathy to look into the allegations.
The commission which had found “substance” in the allegations levelled by a DYFI Palakkad district leader has reportedly recommended action against the MLA. However, the panel is learnt to have concluded that the offence was not of grave nature which could be bracketed with sexual assault or sexual harassment. Under these circumstances the party was likely to reduce the degree of punishment.
The commission had recorded statements a couple of weeks ago amid allegations that a section of leaders had tried to derail the probe. As many as eight CPM and DYFI leaders had deposed before the party commission including C. K. Rajendran and M. B. Rajesh.
Though pressure was mounted from various quarters on the DYFI leader to withdraw or water down the complaint, she stood by her allegations firmly. The attempts made allegedly by a section of workers to derail the probe could not succeed in the face of strong stand taken by the woman.
