Kerala actor-politician Mukesh arrested for rape on actress’ complaint

Kochi Islands: A rape case has been registered against prominent Malayalam actor and ruling CPI(M) MP M Mukesh after a woman actor sexually assaulted her years ago, police said on Thursday.

An FIR (Fire Report) was registered against the actor under Section 376 of the Penal Code (IPC) at Maradu police station in Kochi city on Wednesday evening, a police officer said.

The case was registered under the Penal Code as the offence allegedly occurred before the new Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita came into effect, he said.

This is the third FIR against a well-known Malayalam film personality, following allegations of sexual harassment against several directors and actors, following revelations in the Justice K Hema commission report.

On Wednesday, police at the Thiruvananthapuram museum arrested actor Sidhique for allegedly raping an actress in a hotel eight years ago.

The first case, under Section 354 of the Penal Code (assault or criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her), was against director Ranjith. The case involved a complaint by a female actor from West Bengal about an incident that took place in 2009.

She alleged that the director touched her inappropriately for sexual purposes after he invited her to act in the film Paleri Manikyam.

Following the actor’s allegations, Ranjith resigned as chairman of the state-run Kerala Chalachitra Academy.

Sidhique had also resigned as General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) following the allegations against him.

The Justice Hema Committee was set up by the Kerala government after the 2017 sexual assault case of an actress. The report exposed cases of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.

Following allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation 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.