A five-year-old girl, in Kerala’s Aluva, Ernakulam district was sexually assaulted and strangled to death by a man named Asfaq Aslam, who had recently moved into their building. Aslam was arrested on the night of 28 July 2023, but his intoxication made it difficult for the police to extract information. The girl went missing on the evening of 28 July 2023, and CCTV footage implicated him. Aslam confessed to the crime and led the police to the location where he left the child’s lifeless body in a marshy area near Periyar River. A vigilant individual spotted the girl with the accused in a nearby market and alerted the police after seeing a missing post about her on Facebook. The incident caused an uproar on social media, with people actively assisting in the search operation. The girl’s body was taken to her school for people to pay their respects, and calls for the death penalty for the accused grew stronger.
However, local news media provided conflicting information about his origin, with some sources claiming he is from Bihar, while others stated he is from Assam. Asfaq Alam claimed that he traded the girl for money with a man named Sakeer Hussain. Based on Alam’s statement, the police arrested two more individuals who were allegedly involved in child trafficking.
Hypocrisy Of Pinarayi Vijayan & The CPIM
Netizens expressed their frustration and anger over the apparent double standard shown by Kerala’s Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, in addressing cases of child victims.
What is that differentiating factor between 8 year old Asifa in Kathua, Jammu and 5 year old Chandni in Aluva, Kerala @pinarayivijayan?
Not a single reaction from you yet! So much for your votebank politics!! pic.twitter.com/G4LiLuQf8Q
— നചികേതസ് (@nach1keta) July 30, 2023
They pointed out that while the Chief Minister actively tweeted and spoke out about the gang rape of Asifa in Kathua in 2018, he remained silent and did not issue any statements or tweets regarding the recent case, which happened within his own state.
People on social media questioned the disparity in the Chief Minister’s response, as they saw no apparent difference between the two cases that would justify his silence in the 5-year-old girl’s tragedy, except for the fact that the victims of the two cases come from different communities.
Netizens also criticised the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its newspaper Deshabhimaani for displaying double standards in their coverage of two separate incidents.
SHAME ON YOU CPIM!!🤮
When the topic of Manipur was raised, This communist newspaper covered the news on the front page with the title "Naked Bharatham"!!
However, when ASAFAK ASLAM sexually assaulted and killed a five-year-old girl named Chandini in kerala, the news was not… pic.twitter.com/oAMRihKitU
— महारथी-മഹാരഥി (@MahaRathii) July 30, 2023
They point out that when a horrendous video from Manipur circulated, Deshabhimaani prominently featured the news on its front page, along with cartoons depicting the victim as Mother India. However, in the 5-year-old girl’s case, the newspaper made no effort to give the news similar prominence. Other newspapers, in contrast, placed the child’s case on their front pages. This has led to accusations of the CPIM and Deshabhimaani trying to downplay or hide the wrongdoings of individuals from a specific community, leading to accusations of bias and double standards in their reporting.
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