As a society, aren’t we forgetful? Whenever an abuse story appears, we tend to be passionate about justice and empathetic towards the abuse victim. But this passion and empathy don’t stay for a long time. Within a week, we tend to forget everything.
And, we did forget about the misery and pain of the 13-year-old girl, who was raped for three months by her father’s friend in Kollam, Kerala in 2017.Â
The accused, 38-year-old Sunil Kumar Bhadran, was a native who had moved to Saudi Arabia and had only come to India on vacation. But soon after the victim reported the incident to family and police, the accused fled to Saudi. What will break your heart and soul is the fact that soon after the accused fled to Saudi, the victim committed suicide as well as her uncle who had first introduced the accused to the family.
This tragic incident broke the whole family. Though Interpol issued the notice for Bhadran in 2017, nothing much happened. And, like many other abuse stories, we forgot this tragic incident and how it destroyed the family.
But Kollam Police Commissioner Merin Joseph didn’t forget!Â
A determined young IPS officer, who assumed the position in June this year, made sure that this young girl and her family get justice.
Her persistence and determination pushed the case with alacrity and speed. As per a report in The News Minute, Merin and her team landed in Riyadh. And, with the help of Interpol, they managed to nab the accused to provide justice to this family. Though Merin need not have gone herself, she still accompanied her team for the extradition of Bhadran, who became the first man in Saudi to be arrested for a crime committed in India.
Many people across social media are applauding Merin’s courage and determination in executing this investigation. And, it’s not surprising at all why some netizens referred to her as ‘REAL SINGHAM’. At IForHer, we celebrate Merin, who is not only one of the youngest IPS officers in Kerala but also a vocal proponent of women’s rights.
And, what makes Merin even more inspiring is the fact she is showing no sign of stopping. Ever since she took the Commissioner’s position, she has been focusing on clearing pending cases, especially those involving women and children. She has dedicated her life to providing justice to those who had lost every hope to seek justice.
We wish more power to Her!