The survivor in the Kerala actress sexual assault case has spoken up in public for the first time. She wrote on her official Instagram page on Monday: "This has not been an easy journey. The journey from being a victim to becoming a survivor.”
She added: "For 5 years now, my name and my identity have been suppressed under the weight of the assault inflicted on me. Though I am not the one who has committed the crime, there have been many attempts to humiliate, silence and isolate me. But at such times I have had some who stepped forward to keep my voice alive. Now when I hear so many voices speak up for me I know that I am not alone in this fight for justice.”
She further wrote: “To see justice prevail, to get wrongdoers punished and to ensure no one else goes through such an ordeal again, I shall continue this journey.”
The survivor's statement comes at a time when the Kerala police has initiated another probe in the case in which actor Dileep is one of the accused and alleged mastermind. The actress was abducted and allegedly molested inside her car for two hours by some of the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017. The entire act was filmed by some of the accused to blackmail her.
The Crime Branch wing of Kerala police, on Sunday, registered a case against Dileep and five others for allegedly threatening investigation officers in the case. The Crime Branch registered the case on a complaint filed by an investigating officer based on a purported audio clip of Dileep, which was released by a TV channel recently in which the actor was heard conspiring to attack the officials.
-with PTI inputs
