Pregnant woman loses baby after attack, CPM men held

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Seven workers of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) were arrested on Thursday for assaulting a pregnant woman, who lost her baby, in January over a land dispute in Kozhikode district of north Kerala, police said.

Josna Baby alleged that the men were arrested only after her family staged a sit-in in front of the Kodenjery police station on Wednesday, seeking action. She said the police refused to lodge their complaint the first time they approached them due to political pressure.

The 28-year-old woman said a group of people led by the CPI(M) branch secretary barged into their house and started beating her husband over a dispute regarding a boundary. She said when she tried to save her husband, she was pulled down and

kicked on her stomach.

“Earlier, we had filed a complaint with the police about the land dispute and they had warned CPI(M) leader Saidalavi and others not to disturb or threaten. Despite this, they barged into our house on the night of January 28 and started attacking my husband,” she said.

Baby said she started bleeding after the attack and gave birth to a still-born baby a day later in the hospital. She added that the accused surrendered in the police station only after the incident was highlighted in the media.

A senior police officer said the arrested men were booked for unlawful assembly, causing the death of an unborn child and trespassing criminally.The accused were later remanded in judicial custody. However, the CPI(M) distanced itself from the incident, saying it was a private dispute and the party would look into it if any leaders were involved in the incident.

The Opposition condemned the attack. “Under the Marxist regime, it seems even babies are not safe in wombs. Law and order is precarious and party workers are ruling the state ,” said BJP’s state chief Kummanam Rajasekharan.