Brinda Karat should check facts, activism should not abort truth: Valson Thampu

NEW DELHI: A day after CPI(M) Politburo member Brinda Karat accompanied St Stephen's molestation victim to a meeting with HRD Minister Smriti Irani, college principal Valson Thampu took on her saying "she should have checked her facts" and "activism should not abort the truth".

"Ms Karat has gone all the way to Smriti Irani to get the stipend of the complainant in the sexual harassment case released from St Stephen's college. I wish Brinda had checked the facts. I admire her activism. But activism should not abort the truth," Thampu said in a Facebook post.

Karat had yesterday accompanied the research scholar, who has alleged molestation by a college professor, to meet Irani, who later directed the Delhi University to ensure that the girl gets her stipend and unrestricted access to the lab, and that her research supervisor is immediately changed.

Thampu, who has been accused of shielding the accused in the case, today posted images of two cheques issued in the name of the victim, maintaining that the college never refused to pay her the stipend but "she never bothered to collect the cheques".

"The complainant did not bother to collect them and they have expired. The same happened on the earlier occasion as well, when stipend for several months were not collected by her.

"Then also a complaint was aired in public that St. Stephen's was "penalizing" her by holding back her stipend! The truth then, as now, was that she did not collect the cheque," he said.