KOLLAM: Amid calls for his resignation as MLA, actor and Kollam legislator M Mukesh contacted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to provide an explanation regarding the sexual assault allegations against him, according to a close aide.
In his conversation with the Chief Minister, Mukesh reportedly denied the charges and claimed the complainant had attempted to blackmail him. He informed the CM that he would submit evidence, including WhatsApp chats, to prove what he described was a conspiracy by the female actor.
“He went to Thiruvananthapuram a few days ago when the allegations gained media attention. I believe he met the CM there. Later, he may have gone to Ernakulam, where he is currently preparing for a legal battle against the actress,” the aide said.
Earlier on Thursday morning, Mukesh was booked by the Maradu Police under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) following a complaint filed by Malayalam actress Minu Muneer.
RAPE CASE AGAINST ACTOR SIDDIQUE: MAGISTRATE RECORDS SECRET STATEMENT OF COMPLAINANT
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Turning up the heat on actor Siddique, who has been booked in a rape case, the police on Thursday recorded the secret statements of the complainant before the magistrate. The statements of the 29-year-old actress was registered before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court V. The rape was allegedly committed at the Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016 and police mounted an inspection to collect evidence. The complainant had alleged that she was taken to a room on the first floor of the hotel, where she was raped. She had told the police that she entered her name in the register for the visitors before entering the room.
Sources said the police seized the registers and found that Siddique had checked into the hotel on the said date that the complainant had pointed out. The name of the complainant was also found in the register, proving that she had indeed called on the veteran actor on the day the alleged offence occurred. Meanwhile, Siddique has approached the magistrate court seeking a copy of the FIR and the complaint filed against him, indicating he would be soon filing an anticipatory bail petition.
FILMMAKER V K PRAKASH BOOKED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE
KOLLAM: Pallithottam police on Thursday registered a case of sexual harassment against filmmaker and actor V K Prakash. He has been charged under Section 354(A) (sexual harassment) based on a complaint filed by a female writer from Kochi with the Special Investigation Team (SIT). According to police sources, Prakash invited her to a hotel in Pallithottam to discuss a film script. However, during the meeting, he allegedly groped her and sexually harassed her. The survivor lodged a formal complaint with the SIT which is investigating sexual harassment cases in the film industry. The SIT then forwarded the complaint to the Pallithottam police, the source added.