Saseendran episode: Police to begin probe on women journalists’ complaint

Thiruvananthapuram: Police will launch a probe into the allegation of a women journalists body that they were facing a "disgraceful" situation following charges that one of them had a role to play in the alleged sleaze talk incident involving former transport minister A K Saseendran.

The journalists, affiliated to the Network of Women in Media, India, in a complaint to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, alleged that they were facing a "disgraceful" situation following reports in a section of the media that a woman journalist had a role to play in the sleaze talk episode.

They said it had adversely affected their work and things had gone to an extent where women journalists were being "insulted and doubted".

A comprehensive probe into the issue was needed to bring out the truth, the complaint, signed by Geeta Nazeer and Jisha Surya from the journalists body, said.

Sources in the chief minister's office said he has forwarded the complaint to the police, who would conduct a detailed probe into the allegation.

The police investigation would run parallel to the judicial probe ordered by the government into the sleaze talk incident, they said.

The government had Wednesday announced a probe by retired district judge P S Antony into the sleaze charges. It had also said the probe report would be submitted within three months.

Meanwhile, the Kerala Union of Working Journalists also sought a detailed police probe, along with the judicial probe, to clear the "mystery" behind the whole matter.

KUWJ general secretary C Narayanan, in a statement, said even isolated incidents of insulting and doubting women journalists were unfortunate.

Saseendran, an NCP nominee in the LDF ministry, resigned on March 26 after a Malayalam television channel aired an audio clipping, purportedly a telephonic conversation of him speaking to a woman in sexual undertones.

The channel had claimed that the woman was a housewife who had called the minister for redressal of some of her grievances.

Meanwhile, Saseendran, who reached his home district Kozhikode, said "people of the state are convinced about what had happened", but did not elaborate.