In a move to celebrate the death sentence awarded to a 24-year-old woman in the sensational Sharon murder case, All Kerala Men’s Association, a group advocating for men’s rights, felicitated Neyyatinkara additional district and sessions judge AM Basheer who delivered the verdict by garlanding and pouring milk on his life-sized cardboard cutout. When the police thwarted the attempt to conduct a milk-pouring ritual in front of the secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, January 22, the AKMA shifted the venue to their office.
Hailing the death sentence awarded to Greeshma, who was found guilty of murdering her boyfriend Sharon using a herbicide-laced Ayurvedic concoction, the AKMA had planned to celebrate the sentence by bursting crackers and pouring milk on the picture of judge Basheer. Right-wing political commentator Rahul Easwar was the chief guest of the event. Rahul told the media that they do not find any logic in the police intervention as they were garlanding the cutout of judge Basheer, and not burning any effigy. He also said that he was advocating for a “men’s commission” to question such injustices against men.
“Police, who served us notices against the event, should have the guts to file FIRs against women who filed fake complaints against actor Nivin Pauly, MLA Eldhose Kunnappally, and former CM Oommen Chandy. Why did the police criminalise the milk-pouring ritual?” Rahul asked.
The AKMA also protested against retired High Court judge Justice B Kemal Pasha for allegedly criticising Sharon, the victim in the case.
AKMA state president Vattiyoorkavu Ajithkumar said that they organised the event to celebrate the death penalty awarded to Greeshma as it was an extraordinary verdict. “Women, including school and college students, are accused in many criminal cases. That happens because our law is protecting them. That should change. Why don’t we, men, commit crimes? That is because we will have to spend the rest of our time in jail. Women too should realise that,” he said.
“We also want to raise our strong protest against Justice Kemal Pasha. He sent the wrong message to society. It will inspire women to engage in crimes,” he alleged.
According to AKMA, its aim is to “wipe out lesbian feminism and fight injustice against men and children”.
The association was recently in the news for organising a felicitation for businessman Boby Chemmannur when he was released from jail in connection with a sexual harassment complaint filed by actor Honey Rose. The organisation also urged men to boycott a recent event inaugurated by Honey Rose. It threatened to throw cow dung on the actor if she was seen wearing “inappropriate outfits”’.
Earlier, the AKMA had also felicitated Savad, who was accused of flashing a woman passenger in a KSRTC bus, and Pulsar Suni, who is accused in the sexual assault of a female actor, when both were released on bail.