A Malayali woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil petitioned with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday. The move comes after fresh audio recordings and screenshots of Mamkootathil's interaction with the petitioner surfaced in the media.
According to reports, the victim met the chief minister at his office in Thiruvananthapuram and submitted the petition. Vijayan's office has reportedly forwarded the petition to ADGP H. Venkatesh, head of Kerala Crime Branch, which is probing similar allegations of sexual misconduct against the Congress leader.
In the recently surfaced audio recording between Mamkootathil and the victim, the Congress leader allegedly forces the complainant for an abortion. In the latest leaked conversation, the Congress leader was heard abusing the woman while she had an emotional breakdown.
Though Congress had suspended Mamkootathil from the party earlier following multiple allegations of similar nature, he actively took part in the party's programmes in Palakkad. Mamkootathil has been campaigning for Congress candidates contesting the upcoming local body polls in Palakkad.
Mamkootathil is yet to react to media over the developments. In a Facebook post, Mamkootathil said he has not committed anything wrong and would contest the case legally. "As long as I have the firm conviction that I have committed no wrong, I will fight it out legally for as long as it takes. I will prove my case both in the court of law and in the court of the public. Satyameva Jayate," he said in a Facebook post.
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Kerala Health and Women Welfare Minister Veena George expressed solidarity with the victim, saying Kerala is with her. "Dear sister, do not lose strength...Kerala is with you...," she said in a social media post.
Though the Kerala crime branch had initiated a probe earlier against the MLA based on leaked chats and audio recordings, the investigation hit a roadblock after the victims refused to formally register a complaint with the police.
In the recent audio, he was heard insisting that he wanted a child, before later urging her to undergo an abortion. The Palakkad MLA had earlier resigned as Youth Congress state president after Malayalam actress Rini Ann George accused "a young leader" of a well-known political party of misbehaviour, triggering protests by the BJP and the DYFI, the youth wing of the CPI(M). Subsequently, several women and a transgender person levelled similar allegations against him.
