Kerala minister quits over domestic violence charges

Facing charges of domestic violence slapped by his wife, Kerala forest minister K B Ganesh Kumar resigned from the Congress-led UDF ministry late last night.

Though the minister had rejected the allegation by his wife Yamini Thankachi as "baseless" and ruled out his resignation in the evening, his position became untenable after his wife lodged a complaint against him in a police station in the city late last night.

Losing his ground, the actor-turned politician belonging to the Kerala Congress (B) drove to the official residence of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy by midnight and handed over his resignation. Chief Minister's office sources said the resignation letter will be forwarded to the Governor today.

The long-running family dispute reached a flashpoint yesterday with Kumar filing a divorce petition in a local court here. He alleged that he had been blackmailed and even manhandled by his wife Yamini. Yamini, however, hit back alleging that she had been victim of domestic violence for the last 16 years and accused her hushand of having "illicit affairs."

She also alleged that she did not receive justice from the Chief Minister Oommen Chandy whom she had approached with a complaint against her husband. The issue also came as a huge embarrassment for the ruling UDF and its top leaders were learnt to have advised Ganesh Kumar to quit after his estranged wife lodging a complaint with the police.