KOCHI: The survivor of the 2017 actor abduction and sexual assault case on Friday appealed to the public to let her "live" with dignity after a video circulated by Martin Antony, the second accused in the case, allegedly revealed her identity.
In an emotionally charged post on social media, the actor said the only "mistake" she made was approaching the police immediately after the violence against her and pursuing legal action.
Rejecting labels imposed on her, she wrote on Instagram, "Not a victim, not a survivor, just a simple human being. Let me live."
Had she remained silent, she wrote, she would later have been accused of not reporting the crime at all. "Should I have stayed quiet, accepted what happened as fate, and ended my life," the post read, laying bare the emotional toll of continued attacks against her.
Her response came after she watched the video released by Martin Antony, who has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment in the case. Condemning his actions, she said he could just as easily have levelled even more damaging and false allegations against her.
“You could have even claimed that I had filmed a nude video of you,” she wrote, underscoring the extent of the humiliation and targeting she continues to face. The actor said those who make such allegations, circulate them online and their relatives should never have to face a similar situation in life.
Earlier, after the court acquitted Dileep, the actor had shared a similar emotional post that received widespread public support.
On December 13, the Ernakulam District and Sessions Court sentenced all six convicts in the case, including prime accused Pulsar Suni, to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment.
The accused were found guilty under Sections 376D (gang rape) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and were also fined Rs 50,000 each. The verdict and sentence were pronounced by Principal Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese.