Thiruvananthapuram: Three days after the Kerala Police booked Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil for alleged rape and coerced termination of a pregnancy, police have widened the probe and booked more Congress leaders for insulting the survivor and revealing details about her identity on social media.
The controversy comes as the state is set to vote for local body polls on 9 and 11 December. The election is particularly crucial for the Congress, which has been in the state’s opposition since 2016. The party’s campaign has mostly focused on allegations of corruption against the ruling Left front and the Sabarimala gold theft case.
The police on Sunday booked Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) General Secretary Sandeep Varier, Mahila Congress Pathanamthitta secretary Renjitha Pulickal, and advocate Deepa Joseph. The police earlier arrested men’s rights activist Rahul Easwar in connection with the case.
All those booked had allegedly been posting statements on social media for the past few days defending Palakkad MLA Mamkootathil.
Varier said the “false case” against him was politically motivated. “I have never once revealed the identity of the complainant. I will legally face this false case filed against me because others misused a photo I posted a year ago when I attended her wedding. I will approach the Honorable Judiciary today itself for justice,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
He added that the Pinarayi Vijayan government was trying to divert attention from issues, including the Sabarimala gold-cladding controversy.
ThePrint reached Varier for comment via calls, but his phone was switched off. This report will be updated if and when he responds.
Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said Monday the party would not support anyone accused of wrongdoing. “Let the law take its own course. Whoever does wrong, the party is never going to support it,” Satheesan told the media in Kollam.
The move comes days after a woman met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and submitted a complaint alleging she had been sexually assaulted by the Palakkad MLA and forced to terminate a pregnancy.
It was the first official complaint against the Congress MLA. Soon after this, the Valiyamala police station in Thiruvananthapuram began a probe.
The Congress MLA, who was actively campaigning for local body polls in Palakkad last week, has been absconding since the registration of the case.
He denied the allegations in an anticipatory bail application filed on Friday, saying they were politically motivated.
The Congress party in August suspended the Palakkad MLA from the party’s primary membership after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against him on social media. Mamkootathil resigned from his post as the party’s Youth Congress president then.
The issue has also created a divide in the Congress as many party functionaries and supporters are attacking its senior leadership, including Lok Sabha MP Rajmohan Unnithan, for speaking against Mamkootathil on social media.
Satheesan also faced barbs on social media following Rahul’s suspension from the party.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also Read: Rahul Mamkootathil—Congress’s young popular face in eye of a storm amid sexual misconduct backlash