Thiruvananthapuram: As police booked Kollam MLA Mukesh under non-bailable charges, including rape, over a female artist's complaint, calls for his resignation have been echoing across Kerala. On Thursday, CPI leader Annie Raja said Mukesh must step down from the MLA post and face the probe.

“ Mukesh should resign as MLA without much delay. He should take moral responsibility for the allegations and face a probe. CPM should take action to remove him from the post. If Mukesh continues as MLA, it will affect the probe into the sexual assault allegations and Justice Hema Commission report,” said Annie Raja.

Manorama News reported that CPI summoned an emergency meeting on Thursday amid the issues. It is learnt that the party would take a stance over the case against Mukesh and demand CPM to take action against him.

Meanwhile, a group of 100 women activists in Kerala, including writers Sara Joseph, K R Meera and activist K Ajitha, released a joint statement on Wednesday, calling for the CPM MLA's resignation. So far, three women artists have come forward with sexual abuse accusations against Mukesh.

In the background of this, the women group demanded Mukesh should step down from his position, given the gravity of the allegations against him. They urged the government to remove him from office if he refused to resign. 

"Mukesh had been accused of various offences in both his personal and public life, including domestic violence, rape, and workplace sexual harassment," the statement read.

According to reports, CPM is facing pressure for Mukesh's resignation as its major ally CPI also expressed protest over protecting the accused. The CPM leadership not issued any official statement regarding this. BJP and Congress leaders also called for Mukesh's resignation after the woman raised sexual assault allegations against him.

An FIR under IPC 376 (rape) was registered against Mukesh at Maradu police station in Kochi city on Wednesday night, a police officer said. Charges under IPC 354 354 ( outraging modesty of women), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 454 (trespassing) are also slapped against him.

The case was registered under the IPC as the offence allegedly occurred before the new Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita came to force. This is the third FIR against a high-profile Malayalam film personality following allegations of sexual harassment against various directors and actors in the wake of revelations in the Justice K Hema Committee report.