Kochi: A rape case has been filed against prominent Malayalam actor and ruling CPI MLA M Mukesh, following allegations by a female actor that he sexually assaulted her several years ago, police confirmed on Thursday.
According to a police officer, an FIR under IPC Section 376 was registered against Mukesh at the Maradu police station in Kochi on Wednesday night. The case falls under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) since the alleged offence occurred before the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita came into effect.
This marks the third FIR filed against a high-profile personality in the Malayalam film industry following recent allegations of sexual harassment against various directors and actors, spurred by the findings of the Justice K Hema Committee report.
On Wednesday, the Thiruvananthapuram Museum police registered a case against actor Sidhique for allegedly raping an actress in a hotel eight years ago.
The first of these recent cases involved director Ranjith, who was charged under IPC Section 354 after a female actor from West Bengal accused him of inappropriately touching her with sexual intent during a 2009 incident.
The alleged incident occurred after Ranjith invited her to act in the movie “Paleri Manikyam.” Following the complaint, Ranjith resigned from his position as chairman of the state-run Kerala Chalachitra Academy.
Similarly, Sidhique resigned as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists after the allegations against him surfaced.
The Justice Hema Committee, established by the Kerala government following the 2017 actress assault case, revealed numerous instances of harassment and exploitation of women within the Malayalam cinema industry in its report.
In light of these allegations, the state government announced on August 25 the formation of a seven-member special investigation team to probe the growing number of sexual harassment complaints against industry figures.
