The Koyilandy police in Kozhikode booked Civic Chandran on July 17 on charges of molesting a young Dalit woman writer. The case has attracted a lot of attention in Kerala as Civic Chandran is a prominent cultural figure, especially in Kozhikode. A writer, activist, and a former Naxalite, Civic Chandran is still evading arrest. According to the police, the 71-year-old has fled the state.
Civic Chandran has also been charged under various sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. According to multiple reports, he fled the state; a court in Kozhikode will hear his anticipatory bail plea on July 30.
The alleged harassment happened two months ago in Koyilandy. The woman's ordeal has been shared by Women Against Sexual Harassment, a Facebook page that publishes ordeals of survivors in sexual harassement incidents protecting their identity. In the post published on July 22, the survivor said that she met Civic Chandran for the first time in a gathering of friends. "The people present there were those who were acquaintances or friends. That is why we decided to drink after a poetry reading session and discussion. Some of us (after drinking) walked to the nearby beach. It was then that Civic, who was behaving well till then, grabbed my hand and attempted to keep me close to his body. I pushed him away, tried to keep distance as much as possible," the post said.
It further said that Civic Chandran continued the harassment while she was sitting on the beach. "He came near me and tried to make me lie on his lap. During that time he tried to move his hands on my body. I was in a horrific situation then because of humiliation and fear. The others were looking at us. They might have intervened if he had continued doing so. I went and sat with some others on a rock in order to escape from him. A poet (who saw the harassment) then hugged me expressing anger over him. But my thought was to not create an issue as many people were present there."
According to the post, Civic Chandran continued to harass her during dinner that night by forcefully trying to feed her. She had to give up eating. "Now, it creates a kind of hatred in me, for I had this experience from someone known as a cultural activist and poet. Now, I regret that I didn't slap him. It upsets me when people justify his actions, after he did this to a woman half of his age," the post reads.
The survivor’s revelation has evoked mixed reaction with some choosing to victim shame the complainant, and others standing with her. Poet Chithira Kusuman who was also present at the gathering mentioned in the survivor's post came in support of the woman. Chithira, in a Facebook post on July 23, said that she had also met Civic Chandran for the first time at the gathering.
"I have known him as a person with a great political life and I began talking to him there with due respect to him. But throughout the conversation he was bragging that younger women were in love with him. I thought it was weird and felt that I should be vigilant around him. The gathering was for two days. When we stepped out in the night on the concluding day, one woman in the group was sitting alone tired. When I checked on her later, he (Civic) was forcefully trying to kiss her. He had left when I reached near them," the post said.
On July 25, a memorandum was submitted to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking his intervention against delaying the arrest of Civic Chandran. It has been endorsed by 100 people who are either social or cultural figures.