Kerala MLA M Mukesh Arrested In Malayalam Cinema MeToo Row, To Be Released

CPI(M) MLA M Mukesh has been arrested by the Kerala Police in the latest wave of MeToo cases that swept the Mollywood industry. A former actress had accused the actor-turned-politician of rape, based on which case has been registered against him. He, however, will be released since he had secured an anticipatory bail from the court.

Mukesh has been charged with non-bailable offences including rape and the use of criminal force against women with an intent to outrage her modesty.

There has also been a strong chorus for the MLA to step down, but he remained defiant claiming the allegations followed after he did not give in to her attempts to blackmail him.

The MeToo wave saw several women come forward and speak out about being sexually abused by high-profile personalities in the Malayalam industry.

In the Justice Hema Committee report, which was made public last month, the names of several actors and directors cropped up in connection with disturbing accounts of sexual harassment and exploitation.

The Kerala government then announced a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the charges.

The SIT arrested Mukesh after interrogating him on Tuesday. He was granted anticipatory bail by the Ernakulam principal sessions court earlier this month.

The cops are reportedly gearing up to arrest another film personality, Siddique, in a rape case filed by a former actress. The actor's request for anticipatory bail has been denied by the Kerala High Court. A lookout circular has been issued as the police are trying to trace Siddique's whereabouts.

The actress had alleged Siddique coerced her into providing sexual favours in exchange for a role in a Tamil movie in 2016. When she refused, he raped her at a state-owned hotel in Thiruvananthapuram, she claimed in her complaint.

Siddique has denied the allegations and claimed the complainant has been making baseless claims against him since 2016.