Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly calls rape allegations ‘baseless’, alleges ‘conspiracy’

Actor Nivin Pauly was arrested on Tuesday for rape after a 40-year-old woman accused her. He alleged that he had sexually assaulted her in Dubai over a year ago. He denied the accusation and promised to take all possible legal measures to prove his innocence.

An officer from Oonnukal police station, where the FIR under Section 376 of the Penal Code was registered, said there were six suspects, including a woman, in the case.

The first suspect is a woman and Pauly is the sixth suspect, the officer said.

According to the woman, the incident took place more than a year ago in Dubai, the officer said, declining to provide further details.

Hours after the FIR was registered, Pauly wrote in a Facebook post that the allegations were “completely false”.

“I am determined to do everything I can to prove that these allegations are unfounded and will take all necessary steps to bring those responsible to light. Thank you for your concern. The rest will be dealt with legally,” he said.

He then gave a press conference where he reiterated that the allegations against him were false, adding: “This is a deliberate accusation and I believe there is a conspiracy behind it.”

He further said that he did not know the complainant and had never seen or spoken to her.

The actor said that about a month and a half ago, he received a call from an officer at the Oonnukal police station, saying that they had received a complaint of sexual abuse against him from a woman.

“When I denied any knowledge of the allegations, the officer said he was convinced the complaint was false and that they would close the case,” he said.

The actor further said that the agent and his lawyer advised him not to file a case against the complainant as some people file such complaints just for publicity. “So I didn’t pursue it then,” he said.

Pauly said he will take all possible legal steps to prove his innocence and that he will fight to the end, because he believes “we must put an end to such false accusations.”

“So I will fight against it, not only for myself, but also for others who will face such false accusations in the future,” he said.

The actor also said he would file a complaint against the prosecutor for attempting to smear him. The complaint was being prepared.

He further said that he will cooperate with the investigation and requested the media to establish the facts or truth behind the allegations before making them public. “Such allegations affect our immediate family. Fortunately, my family supports me,” he said.

Pauly is one of the many actors and directors facing allegations of sexual harassment or rape by female actors following the publication of the Justice K Hema Commission report.

The commission was set up by the Kerala government following the 2017 sexual assault case of an actress and the report that exposed cases of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.

After allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation were made against several actors and directors, the state government on August 25 announced the formation of a seven-member special investigation team to probe the allegations.