Arrest warrant issued for actor Siddique in rape case, police begin search

Siddique denies the allegations.

New Delhi:

Kerala police are reportedly gearing up to arrest actor Siddique after the Kerala High Court denied him interim bail in the Malayalam cinema #MeToo case, sources said. The court had rejected Siddique’s bail plea in a rape case filed against him by a former actress. A circular has been issued as police intensify efforts to trace Siddique’s whereabouts.

The charges are based on a complaint filed by an actress who alleged that Siddique raped her at a state-run hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016. According to sources, the victim had initially refrained from reporting the incident but came forward after the explosive Hema Commission report was released last month. The report highlighted the systematic abuse and harassment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry and encouraged several former actresses to share their stories of exploitation.

The actress alleged in her complaint that Siddique forced her to give sexual favours in exchange for a role in a Tamil film. When she refused, he allegedly raped her. Siddique, who was recently elected general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), resigned soon after the allegations surfaced, leading to the entire committee, chaired by actor Mohanlal, also resigning.

Siddique denies the allegations and accuses the complainant of harassing him since 2019 by repeatedly making unsubstantiated claims on social media. According to Siddique, the actress had previously accused him of misconduct towards her in a theatre in 2016, but it was only after the Hema committee report that she escalated her allegations to rape.

The Malayalam film industry has been rocked by a series of allegations of sexual misconduct since the Hema Commission report, which exposed the conditions faced by women in the industry. Since the report was released, the police have registered 11 FIRs against various actors, directors and producers. Siddique’s case is the latest in a series of high-profile allegations.

Other well-known figures involved in similar cases include actor and former MP Mukesh Madhavan, actors Nivin Pauly, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu and Maniyanpilla Raju, and directors Ranjith and Prakash.