A fresh allegation of sexual assault has emerged in Mollywood with actor Nivin Pauly named among the accused.
A woman filed a complaint with the Ernakulam Rural SP, who directed the Oonnukal Police to register a case.
Nivin Pauly is named the sixth accused while producer A K Sunil is the second accused. It is understood that a woman named Shreya is among four other accused. Shreya has been listed as the first accused. Binu, Basheer and Kuttan are the remaining accused, according to TV reports.
The accused have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including rape. The charges fall under IPC and not the revised criminal code, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (which came into effect on July 1, 2024), because the alleged crime occurred last year.
The various charges under IPC mentioned in the FIR are 354 (Outraging modesty of woman), 376 (Rape), 450 (Trespass), 342 (Wrongful confinement), 506 (Criminal intimidation), 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention)
The case was registered based on the complaint filed by the 40-year-old woman who approached the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Kerala government to investigate the allegations mentioned in the Hema Commission report.
According to reports, Shreya took the complainant to Dubai last November promising a job. She was allegedly assaulted there. The case was registered in her native town since the alleged crime took place in a foreign country.
The Malayalam movie industry has been rocked by a 'me too' movement that emerged since the Hema Commission report highlighting the plight of women in Mollywood was released on August 19. Since then, several women have come forward with sexual allegations against some of the leading names in the industry, including actors Siddique and Mukesh and director Ranjith.
The wave of allegations impacted the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). Following Siddique's resignation as general secretary, the executive committee led by President Mohanlal resigned en masse. Director Ranjith was forced to exit his post as chairman of the Chalachitra Academy. There has also been a clamour for Mukesh's resignation as MLA of Kollam.