Kochi: Recently, businessman Boby Chemmanur was arrested by the police following a complaint from actress Honey Rose alleging sexual harassment. Subsequently, the court denied him bail. In this context, discussions about violence against women are heating up on social media. Some have criticised women for reacting to such incidents years after they occurred.

In the wake of these discussions, writer K.R. Meera has come up with her response as she said that if an assault occurs, it remains an assault regardless of how many years have passed. K.R. Meera expressed her views in a Facebook post, emphasising that even if one doesn’t respond immediately, the assault doesn’t cease to be an assault. She added that a woman’s civil rights are not like an OTP (One-Time Password) that expires if not used within five or ten minutes.

Her response comes against the backdrop of increasing violence against women. She asserted that even if one responds after a year, two years or never at all, the assault remains an assault and a crime. It doesn’t cease to exist. Advising victims on how much pain to feel, how long to feel it or when to react is easy, she pointed out. A woman’s civil rights cannot be invalidated simply because she didn’t react immediately, unlike an OTP, Meera wrote on Facebook.

Following Boby Chemmanur’s case, Honey Rose also filed a complaint against Rahul Easwar, alleging that he harassed her on social media. In response to this, Rahul Easwar has submitted an anticipatory bail application to the High Court. The complaint against Rahul pertains to remarks he made during TV channel discussions, which prompted Honey Rose to take action.