Why Survivors Always Get the Blame: An Upside-Down Morality Show
There is a familiar smell in the air, the same old mix of misogyny, moral posturing, and digitally manufactured outrage. And right at the center of this latest spectacle stands Kerala’s self appointed men’s rights crusader, Rahul Easwar, leading yet another noisy parade where accused men are washed with milk, showered with flowers, and worshipped like heroes, while survivors are stripped of dignity, privacy, and safety.
Yes. It’s that circus again. The script never changes, only the survivors do. The latest episode opens with a woman submitting a complaint to the Chief Minister, accusing MLA Rahul Mamkootathil of sexual assault, rape and forced termination of pregnancy. Within hours, cyber trolls exploded.
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Within hours, her identity was leaked online, photographs, videos, personal details all circulated with the clear intention of humiliating her, shaming her, and warning other women to shut up before daring to speak. And who appears, as predictably as an interval fight scene in a mass movie?
Rahul Easwar is the man who has made an entire career by standing behind every accused with the enthusiasm of a PR manager. Police arrested Easwar for allegedly sharing confidential survivor details, making sexually coloured statements, and running content that the court felt was serious enough to deny him bail. He now sits in judicial custody for 14 days, complaining that he will go on hunger strike because nothing says “men are oppressed” quite like a self-inflicted diet.
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But the real question is,
Why does every survivor in Kerala have to battle a coordinated digital lynch mob just to seek justice?
According to the survivor’s complaint, the harassment was not random, it was coordinated. Supporters of the accused allegedly ran WhatsApp and Facebook groups targeting the complainant. Even some Congress functionaries shared private details before quietly deleting their posts when the backlash became too loud to ignore. Those who dared support the survivor? They were attacked too. So yes, we have reached a point where merely believing a survivor invites online punishment.
The police finally had to step in, with ADGP H Venkatesh issuing state-wide alerts to shut down such violations. Yet the attackers pretend they are the victims. How convenient.
This “men’s rights” movement in Kerala has mutated into something far beyond advocacy you watch closely, you’ll find a disturbing pattern.
Celebrate sexual offenders as heroes. Pulsar Suni, the accused in the Kerala actor assault case, walked out of jail to applause, flower showers, and tears of joy from AKMA members. Defend anyone accused of sexual misconduct as long as they’re men.
From Dileep to Boby Chemmannur, the same MRAs show up like a travelling fan club. Blame survivors for ruining good men’s lives. Because apparently, the greatest threat to Kerala men isn’t patriarchy ,it’s women daring to fight back.
And then there is the unforgettable visual. AKMA members pouring milk over a flex board of a judge because a woman received justice in her murder case. If justice for women triggers ritualistic melodrama, what exactly do these groups stand for?
Certainly not fairness. Definitely not truth.
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Rahul Easwar campaigned against women entering Sabarimala, defended men accused of sexual assault on TV debates, slut-shamed Honey Rose on live TV, and stood staunchly behind Dileep in the actor assault case. His argument always loops back to the same tired lines,
Women are overly empowered, men are the real victims.
Kerala now also has a new category of public figures.
Women who publicly demand privileges for men. Actor Priyanka Anoop, for example, said a woman going to a hotel room with a man should be responsible for what happens.
Men deserve reserved seats on KSRTC buses. She will always give men a prominent position in her life.
If internalised patriarchy ever needed a mascot, Kerala just found one.
These Kerala MRAs push a dangerous claim. “Most sexual assault cases are fake.” Where is their data? Nowhere. Actual data from NCRB shows that crimes against women increased in 2022 – rapes, assault, dowry deaths, kidnapping, trafficking, and cyber crimes. But facts have never stopped this movement. Their ideology demands only one thing, Protect the accused man. Destroy the woman who speaks.
The most important questions we need to ask, why does every woman who files a complaint immediately become the target of sexualised harassment? Why do MRAs celebrate accused men as heroes while tearing apart survivors? Why do political influencers leak private details of women and then pretend to be victimised? Why do men who have platforms use them to amplify misogyny instead of accountability?
Why is the dignity of a survivor treated as disposable the moment a powerful man is named? And why does Kerala tolerate this circus again and again and again?
Let’s stop pretending this is advocacy. Real men’s rights activism addresses, mental health, suicide rates, family court biases, lack of emotional support for men. What we are witnessing in Kerala is not that.
What we are witnessing is a deeply insecure group of men, terrified of losing the privilege that lets them act without consequence. So they rewrite the script, The accused becomes the heroes. The survivor becomes the villain.
And the public becomes the audience expected to clap. But Kerala is watching. And many are done clapping.
This is no longer about one MLA, one survivor, or one social-media personality. This is about a repeated, rehearsed pattern. Every time a woman speaks up, the system, the trolls, and the self-appointed guardians of masculinity attack her into silence. And every time, we are expected to accept it as normal, as culture, as tradition, as balanced debate. No. It is none of those things.
It is violence, digital, psychological, and social. And it is time we call it by its real name.
