One of the survivors who has raised sexual allegations against former Youth Congress president and MLA Rahul Mamkootathil has submitted a formal complaint to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The young woman arrived at the CM's office around 4.30 pm and handed the complaint directly to him. With the complainant herself submitting the complaint along with evidence—including chats and audio recordings—the situation has reached a point where the investigation could even lead to Mamkootathil’s arrest.
Though suspended from the Congress, there had been a section within the party advocating for bringing Mamkootathil back. The young MLA’s decision to campaign for Congress candidates in the local body polls had already created confusion within the party. Notably, some senior leaders had defended him by saying there was no official complaint from any victims (though the police had earlier registered a case based on third-party complaints). But with today’s move, the noose is tightening around Mamkootathil over the sexual assault allegation, and that technicality can no longer be used by the Congress leadership.
In recent days, WhatsApp messages said to be Mamkootathil's—where he allegedly pressures the young woman to become pregnant and later undergo an abortion—had surfaced. Once the Crime Branch initiates action based on today’s complaint, the course of this entire row could shift. In the wake of today’s developments, Crime Branch ADGP H. Venkatesh reached the Chief Minister’s Office for discussions. Police are preparing to record the young woman’s statement today itself and register an FIR. The investigating team will take her detailed statement and verify the authenticity of the leaked audio. With both the complaint and her statement in hand, the probe team may find grounds to proceed towards arrest.
Based on the leaked audio and chats, the Crime Branch had earlier registered a case against Mamkootathil in August. The case was filed on the basis of complaints emailed to the police headquarters by third-party individuals. Only minor sections were invoked then, as the complainants were all third parties and the survivor had neither given a statement nor filed a complaint. As a result, the investigation had hit a dead end.
Now, with the survivor herself approaching the chief minister directly, the situation has changed. Given the content of the conversations—pressuring her to undergo an abortion and making threats—stronger charges can be imposed, and the case can move forward. Charges such as sexual exploitation under the pretext of marriage and rape may also come into play.
Notably, Youth Congress leader Sajana B. Sajan recently submitted a complaint to the AICC against Mamkootathil. The complaint was addressed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi. Sajana has demanded that the party investigate the allegations against him and called for forming an inquiry committee that includes national-level women leaders. Earlier, she had sharply criticised Mamkootathil on social media and later in the media as well.
As Kerala heads into local body polls, the complaint has clearly caused panic within the Congress leadership. Opposition Leader V. D. Satheesan declined to respond to questions about him. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader K. Muraleedharan said he was glad the chief minister had finally shown concern for survivors now that elections were near. “It is the government that must take the legal action required in the case,” he said, adding that the Congress has always stood with survivors.
AICC General Secretary Deepa Das Munshi, the party's in-charge for Kerala, remarked that the young woman should ideally have first approached the police, filed a complaint, and ensured an FIR was registered before meeting the chief minister. However, she added that since the complainant trusted the CM, she chose to approach him directly. “The law will now take its own course,” she said. She also noted that Mamkootathil had been suspended months ago and had no further comments to add beyond confirming that legal action would follow as required.
KPCC president Sunny Joseph attempted to defend the party’s position by saying Mamkootathil had been suspended from both the party and the legislative party when the controversy first broke out. But his claim that Mamkootathil is currently not active in the Congress appears weak, given that the suspended leader was, in fact, campaigning for Congress candidates in Palakkad.
Meanwhile, UDF convenor Adoor Prakash reacted by saying that as elections approach, many cases tend to surface against various people, and he himself had been through such experiences. He said filing false cases during election season has long been something governments resort to, and the same seems to be happening now. He added that the complaint against Mamkootathil should be investigated and action taken accordingly.