Case registered against M A Wahid MLA on Bijimol's complaint

Thiruvananthapuram: Ruling Congress MLA M A Wahid was Sunday booked by police for allegedly making offensive remarks against E S Bijimol MLA at a public platform in connection with the March 13 violence in the state Assembly.

On a complaint from Bijimol, a case was registered against Wahid under IPC section 354 A (iv) (making sexually coloured remarks) soon after receiving legal opinion from Director General of Prosecutions, city Police Commissioner H Venketesh told PTI.

Though Bijimol had named Labour Minister Shibu Baby John and Kozhikode DCC President K C Abu too in her complaint, no case was registered against them.

"We have got legal opinion only with regard to Wahid," the Commissioner said, adding, investigation would now begin and evidence taken in the case.

The woman MLA had lodged the complaint with state DGP alleging that Abu and Wahid had made remarks against her "purposefully to outrage her modesty" and "defame" her in public.

Seeking registration of cases against them, she alleged that though she had thought that Shibu blocked her way in the House as part of the agitation on March 13, when LDF was protesting presentation of budget by Finance Minister K M Mani, Abu's controversial remarks on March 20 gave the impression that "she was blocked by the minister with an intention to harass her".

Abu had waded into controversy after saying that Bijimol "seemed to be enjoying" when John blocked her way. Wahid also made similar remarks later and both apologised with an embarrassed Congress admonishing them.

Meanwhile, Wahid said he was prepared to face the case legally. "I have apologised to the MLA. Even after that if she is going ahead with the case, so be it and it will be faced by me legally," he said.

Bijimol had sought slapping of "IPC 354 against Shibu Baby John for outraging her modesty and harassing her" and "IPC 354 A (iV) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) against Abu and Wahid.".