Kerala police have arrested Shimjitha, the woman accused of abetting the suicide of a man over alleged sexual misconduct on a bus. A Kerala court has remanded her to judicial custody.
Shimjitha was arrested by the Kozhikode Medical College police from Vadakara on Wednesday. After a medical examination, Shimjitha was produced before a magistrate court in Kunnamangalam and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.
Deepak U., 42, from Kozhikode, Kerala, worked with a textile firm. On Friday, he was travelling to Kannur on a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus when the alleged incident occurred.
Shimjitha, who was on the bus, recently published a video on social media accusing Deepak of sexual misconduct, alleging he intentionally touched her. According to News Minute, Deepak's elbow appeared to graze her chest in the video. Shimjitha alleged it was not accidental but a violation of her sexual boundaries.
Also read
- Congress announces Kerala candidates for all 95 seats as K. Sudhakaran relents; check complete list here
- The K. Sudhakaran playbook: Threaten, escalate, retreat—and leave damage behind
- Kerala elections: Amid infighting, Congress announces 55 candidates in first list; only 3 of 14 seats in Thiruvananthapuram finalised
- Kerala assembly polls: Factionalism rocks CPI(M) again; rebels rising against party candidates in multiple strongholds
The video went viral, and relatives said Deepak denied the allegation. Deepak had been under severe mental distress since the video surfaced. Deepak reportedly contemplated moving legally against Shimjitha. However, on Sunday, Deepak was found dead in his room in Kozhikode.
Meanwhile, a large number of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers gathered in front of the Medical College police station, alleging that the police were protecting Shimjitha. The BJP alleged she was secretly arrested and transported to Kozhikode in a private vehicle belonging to a police officer from the Medical College station.