Thiruvananthapuram: A sexual assault case was registered against Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly and five others on Tuesday, September 3, following a complaint filed by a woman claiming that she was sexually abused after being offered a chance in a film by the accused.
The alleged incidence of sexual assault took place outside India last year. The woman, however, hailing from rural parts of Kochi, lodged the compaint on Tuesday. Hence, the case was registered at the Oonnukal police station in the rural parts of Kochi.
Police sources revealed that Pauly has been charged as the sixth accused in the case. The other accused also belong to the Malayalam film industry. A woman was also arraigned in relation to the case. The alleged incident took place last November in the UAE.
Meanwhile, IG Sparjan Kumar told DH that a total of 18 cases in connection to sexual abuse in the Malayalam film industry have been registered so far. The investigations relating to the cases are progressing, he added. The number of cases are likely to go up as more women in the Malayalam film industry are coming out with fresh allegations.
Geetha Poduval, who acted in a 2014 Malayalam film, alleged in an interview to a TV channel that the film's producer knocked the door at her hotel room during late hours in a drunken state. A junior artiste in the film too had bitter experiences and she was dropped from the project before completion, which could be due to her resistance.
The police team probing the sexual assault cases contacted Radhika Sarathkumar who recently alleged that hidden cameras are kept inside caravans used by women for changing their clothes. Though she shared her experience, she was not interested in taking further legal action, said a police source.
Actor Padmapriya strongly criticised the office bearers of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) for tendering mass resignations. She said that it was an irresponsible act.
Many AMMA office bearers, including its president - actor Mohanlal, resigned from their respective posts taking moral responsibility for the sexual abuse allegations against some of its members.
Pauly denies allegation
Denying the allegations, Pauly told reporters that he would go to any extent to prove the charges baseless and bring those responsible to light. He said that he would cooperate with the probe. He also said that he had no connection with the complainant and suspected a conspiracy behind it.
The other accused in the case are named Shreya, producer Sunil, Binu, Basheer and Kuttan. They were charged with offences of rape and outraging the modesty of women.