Kochi: a day after the Kerala High Court ordered the state government to pay compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh to Attingal’s eight-year-old girl, who was harassed by a pink police officer accusing her of theft, his father told Mathrubhumi .com that they decided to use the money for the welfare of the tribal students.

The concerns of tribal students have always worried us as they are overlooked from all walks of life, said Jayachandran, father of the girl. “I will find brilliant tribal students from the Wayanad tribal settlements and this money will be given to them for their studies. We did not engage in legal warfare for money, but to shed light on the callous attitude of a law enforcement officer. The ordeal we have gone through may not be isolated. But due to fear or lack of evidence, victims of such negative attitudes may not seek legal help. The court, in delivering such a verdict, sent a clear message to society, ”Jayachandran said.

The policewoman was blind after being intoxicated by the power of her uniform. “After accusing me and my child of theft, the officer told the crowd that she saw my child steal her phone. She wanted to inspect my child’s body while taking off her dress and later she said my child threw her phone away after stealing. Even after getting her phone from the car, she wasn’t ready to confess. Instead, she said, “people like him are repeat offenders and they steal things while carrying children with them.” It was with a broken heart that we arrived home when we were completely devastated. People who knew me in the crowd later motivated us to take a legal course against the officer. Keeping silent was not an ideal choice as it would only help such officers to get away with it; but raising your voice will definitely bring change, ”Jayachandran added.

He told Mathrubhumi.com he was happy with the verdict and urged everyone to speak out against such injustices. “I am still not sure if I will get the compensation because the government could appeal to challenge the verdict,” Jayachandran added.

Given the “trauma” suffered by the underage girl, the court on Wednesday ordered the state government to compensate the violation of her basic rights. The high court also ordered the state government to pay the child 25,000 rupees in court costs. Judge Devan Ramachandran also ordered the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the police officer in question.

The court said that until disciplinary proceedings are initiated and completed, the officer should be kept away from duties that would require her to interact with the general public and further ordered that she be given the interpersonal behavior training required. The court also said that the petitioner and his father can initiate any other litigation they wish against the officer.

The incident happened on August 27 when Jayachandran, a resident of Attingal, reached Moonnumukku with his eight-year-old daughter, who wanted to observe the movement of a huge cargo towards the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) in Thumba. .

Rajitha, Police Officer Pink, was deployed to help with traffic control and accused the duo of stealing her cell phone which was kept in the police vehicle. In a video that went viral, the officer and his colleague were seen harassing the father and daughter and even searching him. The child collapsed amid their harassment.

However, when a bystander dialed the police officer’s number, the cell phone was found in the police vehicle, after which the police team left the scene without even apologizing to the father and daughter. As part of a disciplinary measure, the officer was transferred and the state police chief ordered her to undergo behavioral training.