Woman comes out against govt pleader Dhanesh Manjooran

Kochi: A woman, who was allegedly subjected to a molestation attempt by a government pleader, Thursday came out openly against him.

Government pleader Dhanesh Mathew Manjooran was arrested on the charge of allegedly attempting to molest the woman on a city road when she was returning home here after work on July 14.

Manjooran was allegedly apprehended by locals after the woman raised an alarm following the molestation bid.

"It was the same person who had made the outrageous act towards me on the canal road area. It happened when I was returning to my home from my workplace.I raised an alarm soon after the incident. He was soon apprehended by the people around the area when he tried to evade the situation pretending ignorance," the woman told reporters here.

She also alleged that there was an attempt by the family members of Manjooran to force her to withdraw from the case.

"His family members had approached me at my home the very next day. Their demand was that there should not be any case against the lawyer. And he should get bail from the court," she said.

She said she came out openly against him after she came to know that a section of lawyers, reportedly friends of Manjooran, had been trying to tarnish her image publicly and spoil her family life.

The woman's public statement on the issue comes amid reports that there were alleged attempts by a section of lawyers to portray the case as a police ploy targeting the government pleader.

Media reporting of the molestation attempt had created tiff between media in Kochi and lawyers in the Kerala High court.

A group of agitated advocates had allegedly attacked media persons outside the Kerala High Court complex here on July 20.

At least five media persons were injured during the lawyers' protests against the media coverage of the case.