Rape case against Siddique: Complainant slams SIT for leaking crucial details to media

Thiruvananthapuram: The complainant in the rape case against Siddique welcomed the High Court order denying anticipatory bail to the senior Malayalam actor. Talking to Manorama News, the complainant expressed disappointment over the lapses of the Special Investigation Team in handling the sensitive case. She pointed out that crucial information related to the case was leaked to the media because of the lapses on the part of the SIT.

“ I'm dissatisfied with the way SIT handled the case. Citing all these I filed a complaint with DGP. The accused got enough time to destroy electronic evidence as well as influence witnesses in the case,” said the complainant.

Siddique, who was booked for offences under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation), has claimed in his plea that the complainant female actor has subjected him to the "prolonged campaign of harassment and false accusations since 2019".

The woman, a native of Thiruvananthapuram complained that Siddique raped her at Mascot hotel here in 2016. She also accused the actor of threatening her and destroying her career in the film industry. She opened up about the crime days after the government released the Hema Committee report that exposed crimes against women in the film industry. Initially, the complainant raised allegations against Siddique before the media. Following this, Siddique stepped down from the post of general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). The Special Investigation Team recorded the woman's complaint and registered a case against Siddique on August 28.

"After finishing Plus Two, I was contacted through social media. Later, after the preview show of the film Sukhamaayirikkatte, I was called to the Mascot Hotel for a discussion. I was 21 years old at the time. It was there that I was sexually assaulted. He locked me in. I managed to escape from there," the complainant said.