Actor Nivin Pauly has rubbished news reports naming him an accused in a sexual assault complaint filed by a woman in Ernakulam.
The actor addressed the media within a few hours of the allegation surfacing. "I thought it's better to address it at the earliest because I have nothing to hide. I heard an FIR has been registered, and I, too, will fight this legally," Nivin said.
He said an Inspector from the Oonnukal Police contacted him one and a half months ago to say they had received a complaint. Nivin said he did not proceed legally back then, as the police had closed the investigation after finding it fake.
Nivin said he only knows of the other five accused named by the women. "I know one of the accused; he is a popular financier in the Malayalam film industry. I'm not saying the name; my lawyers have advised me not to divulge much information because of the legal processes involved," Nivin said.
The actor added that he wasn't just fighting the allegation for himself. "Someone has to speak out. Many fake allegations have cropped up in our country and later proved wrong. I'll legally fight this allegation, not just for me, but for everyone who could be defamed by fake complaints."
Nivin was asked if he believed the sexual assault complaints raised against some of his colleagues in the industry were also fake. "That I cannot say. I can only talk about the complaint against me."
Before he announced a press conference, Nivin posted a statement on social media. "Please know that this is entirely untrue. I'm determined to go to any extent to prove these allegations are baseless and will take all necessary steps to bring those responsible to light. Thank you for your concern. The rest will be handled legally," he posted. Allegations of sexual assault have come up in recent times against several prominent men in Mollywood, including Siddique, Mukesh, Ranjith, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju and Babu Raj.