Women leaders condemn 'misbehaviour' towards Sunanda Pushkar

Thiruvananthapuram: Setting aside political differences, women organisations in Kerala have condemned the alleged misbehaviour by a Congress worker towards Union Minister Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar at the airport here.

The incident occurred on Monday when Congress workers in the city gathered at the airport to accord a rousing reception to Tharoor, who had arrived along with his wife after being sworn in as a minister at the Centre.

In the melee, a 19-year-old youth, said to be a Congress worker, allegedly misbehaved with Sunanda, who had to force her way angrily through the crowd.

Though the Tharoor couple were initially anguished over the incident and planned to lodge a police complaint, they later decided not to press for action after the youth apologised for the "misconduct" on his part.

However, women organisations of both Congress and Left parties want the authorities to take suo motu action in the incident.

State Women's Commission Chairperson and former Congress MLA K C Rosakutty said if such an incident had happened it was quite unfortunate and shameful to the state as a whole.

State secretary of CPI(M)'s women's wing AIDWA K K Shylaja demanded the arrest of the youth.

According to Tharoor's spokesperson, the minister's first reaction was that anybody who misbehaved towards a woman should be taken to task. Later, when the youth expressed deep regret for what had happened, Tharoor and his wife decided not to lodge a police complaint against the youth.