‘Kept locked for 5 yrs; photographed after each assault’: Live-in partner alleges brutal abuse by Yuva Morcha Kochi leader

Kochi: A young woman who lived with Yova Morcha district secretary Gopu Paramasivan revealed that she endured brutal physical abuse for years. She stated that beatings with a belt, charger cables, shoes and sticks were routine. The latest attack occurred after she removed his helmet from the table to iron clothes. After assaulting her, Gopu would take photographs and store them, allegedly telling her that he gets “pleasure” tormenting her.

The woman’s harrowing account

“I have lived with him for five years. Our relatives are the only ones who know we stayed together. He always told everyone else that he is single. For five years, he has been tormenting me with a charger cable, belt, stick and extension cables. Yesterday, he tried to strangle me. I lost consciousness and fell.

The assault began over a minor issue—I had kept his helmet on the floor after moving items on the table to iron clothes. The marks from the repeated beatings are all over my body. He assaulted me daily. He even left me thinking I was dead. When I regained consciousness, he was gone. I quickly got dressed and went to my sister’s house.

He threatened that he would kill my children. I left because my life was in danger. I was too scared to complain, fearing he would torment me further. I couldn’t go outside or speak to anyone. The only calls I could answer were his. He would lock me inside the house, and nobody knew about this.

If any relative called, he would tell them what to say. He always had a stick in his hand, so I could only speak what he allowed. I’ve endured this for as long as I could. I cannot tolerate it anymore. He even thrashed me with his shoes; that’s how cruel it has been,” the woman said.

Gopu Paramasivan’s cunning cruelty is what brought this shocking abuse to light. Unable to endure the beatings, the woman went to her sister’s house. Subsequently, Gopu lodged a police complaint at Maradu, claiming the woman had gone missing. The woman later informed the police via phone that she was safe at her relative’s home. On Friday morning, she visited the police station to report the assault.

The couple had lived in a flat near Vyttila Thaykoodam. The woman has two children from a previous marriage, who are with her ex-husband. She claimed that Gopu threatened to harm her children if she revealed the abuse. Based on her complaint, the Maradu police filed a case of attempted murder against Gopu, who was arrested and produced in court.

Previously, complaints had been filed against him. A woman who worked at the BJP office alleged that he took money from her and she lost her job when she demanded it back. The party leadership did not take action, remaining aligned with Gopu. Reports indicate that similar fraudulent behaviour had also been carried out by him.

Meanwhile, he has been expelled from BJP’s primary membership after he was arrested over the incident.