Thiruvananthapuram | A teacup used by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during an anti-central protest here triggered widespread discussion on Monday on social media platforms asking whether it was a gesture of solidarity with a survivor in the sexual assault case involving arrested MLA Rahul Mamkootathil.
The CM, amidst the day-long satyagraha held at Martyrs' Column here, drank water from the cup with the words 'love you to the moon and back' inscribed on it.
Soon after the arrest of the Pakakkad MLA in a fresh assault case on Sunday, the woman, who had first lodged a complaint against him, posted an emotional note on her social media platform in the format of a conversation with her unborn child in which she used the same words shown in the teacup.
Though there was no official confirmation on this, a large number of netizens opined that CM Vijayan using the teacup with the same words can be interpreted as a gesture of his solidarity with the survivor.
The photos and videos of CM holding the teacup soon went viral on social media platforms.
In her emotional post on Sunday, the survivor women thanked God for giving her the courage to speak out despite the pain, judgment, and betrayal she endured.
"Thank you, God, for giving us the courage to validate ourselves despite all the pain, judgment, and betrayal we endured. You saw what was done in the dark. You heard the cries that never reached the world," she wrote.
She said faith held the victims together when their bodies were violated and when their unborn babies were taken away by force.
The reference was made in the backdrop of allegations that Mamkootathil had also forced the victim in the third case to abort her pregnancy.
"May our angel babies forgive us from heaven, especially for trusting the wrong persons and choosing a man unworthy of being our child's father," she wrote.
She said the souls of the aborted babies should rest in peace, free from violence and fear, and from a world that failed to protect victims.
"Our little ones, if our tears reach heaven, let them tell you this. Your mother never forgot you. Your existence mattered, your spirit matters. Mothers will carry you in our hearts until we meet again," she said.
The author of the post was the first to approach the police with a complaint alleging that she was sexually assaulted multiple times and forced to abort her pregnancy.
Though anticipatory bail was denied by a Thiruvananthapuram sessions court in the first case, the Kerala High Court granted Mamkootathil interim protection from arrest till January 21, when the matter is scheduled for further consideration.
In the second case, related to the alleged sexual harassment of a woman in Bengaluru, a Thiruvananthapuram sessions court had granted Mamkootathil anticipatory bail.
