The Kerala government on Tuesday said an investigation would be conducted into the report of sexual harassment of a mother-daughter duo by volunteers of a forest protection committee,at a tourist spot in Achankovil forest range in Kollam District. Both police and forest vigilance would probe the alleged incident,Forest Minister Binoy Viswam told the Assembly in reply to a submission by Congress member V D Satheeshan. Satheeshan said an online report has alleged that two domestic tourists,a woman and her teenage daughter,were recently sexually harassed by volunteers of Vana Samrakshna Samithi,a community organisation set up by the government to protect forests. According to the report,the VSS volunteers also threatened the victims with dire consequences if they went to the police,he said. Action should be taken against the culprits if the report was correct,else stringent action should be taken against the portal for publishing the news that would cause damage to state tourism,Sateeshan said.
