Kerala actor assault case: Survivor meets CM Pinarayi Vijayan, says he assured support
After alleging that politicians in the Kerala government interfered to scuttle further probe into her 2017 abduction and sexual assault case, the survivor Thursday met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The survivor, a prominent woman actor in the Malayalam film industry, has petitioned the Kerala High Court, accusing the state government of having backtracked from its constitutional commitment to conducting a fair, free and complete investigation in the case, in which popular actor Dileep is one of the accused.
After her meeting with Pinarayi Vijayan, the woman actor said she had conveyed her concerns to the chief minister. “He gave me the assurance that the government would be with me in this legal fight. I believe his words.’’
However, the survivor said she had not stated anything against the government in her petition. “I tender an apology if my words had hurt the government. I had raised only my concerns,’’ she said. She said she had brought to the notice of the chief minister the developments in the court.
Referring to the controversial remarks of CPI(M) leaders and ministers after she petitioned the high court, the survivor said, “I cannot shut anyone’s mouth. It is a very difficult journey for me. Those who criticise me do not know what kind of journey it is,’’ she said.
Official communication from the CMO said the survivor has raised her concerns with the CM during the meeting. “She told the CM that she moved the court, not because of any lapse on the part of the government, (but because) she wanted to get more time for further probe,” said the CMO.
After meeting the survivor, the Vijayan convened a meeting with DGP Anil Kanth and ADGP (Crimes) Shaik Darvesh Saheb in his chamber and directed them to effectively probe into the case.
In her petition moved in the high court on May 24, the woman actor had alleged that Dileep has influenced some of the politicians in the government and attempted to interfere with further investigation and prematurely close the case. “The prosecution and the investigating agency are threatened by political higher-ups to end the investigation halfway and file the additional final report in a half-cooked manner. This clearly establishes the nexus between the accused and the ruling front,” she said.
On Wednesday, when the court considered her petition seeking an impartial and fair probe into the case, the state government demanded that the survivor withdraw her comments against the government. She refused to do that.
The court asked the prosecution to furnish a statement on her petition on May 27.
