Kochi: The woman actor who filed a sexual assault case against Kollam MLA M Mukesh on Wednesday alleged that the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing her complaint, has restricted her from using her social media accounts. "The officers had also barred me from addressing the press," she told Manorama News.
"I lost access to my Facebook account yesterday, and I don't know how it happened. I have fully cooperated with the SIT; they collected my digital data with the help of cyber police for evidence, which I didn't oppose," she said. "But losing access to my Facebook account made me feel disconnected from society. I am the petitioner in this case—why am I being pressured? Collecting relevant data for the case is understandable, but accessing my personal information, including my children's photos, is unacceptable," she added.
The actor further accused external pressures of influencing the probe team and preventing them from taking Mukesh into custody. "The public is not supporting him; I am not sure who else is taking care of Mukesh," she added.
Mukesh was charged under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC following the woman's complaint, though he claimed the allegations stemmed from his refusal to succumb to her blackmail attempts. The complainant had also made similar accusations against actors Edavela Babu and Jayasurya.
Following the release of the Justice K Hema Committee report, Kerala was rocked by multiple sexual allegations levelled against some high-profile figures in the Malayalam film industry. In response, the state government formed a seven-member special investigation team on August 25 to probe these cases further.