Thiruvananthapuram: Malayalam actor Jayasurya on Tuesday declared that he was a "living martyr" who has been framed in a false rape case.
"I completely deny the allegations. This is a fabricated case. I don't even need anticipatory bail," he said. "It's alarming that people are making such false accusations against anyone. At least I have a platform to make my case. Many others don't have this. It could destabilize many families," he added.
The Kerala police interrogated the actor on Tuesday in connection with a rape case filed by a female colleague from Aluva. He was summoned to report to the Cantonment police station in Thiruvananthapuram at 10 am for questioning. The actor faces charges of sexual harassment and outraging the modesty of a woman in two separate cases.
On September 23, the Kerala High Court closed Jayasurya’s bail petitions in both cases, noting that the alleged incidents occurred before 2013 and involved only bailable offences. The court also preserved the petitioner’s right to seek legal recourse.
The charges against the actor include sections 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), and 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The first case was filed by the Cantonment police, with the FIR stating that Jayasurya sexually assaulted the complainant during the filming of De Ingottu Nokkiye at the Kerala Secretariat in 2008. The second case involved a female colleague from Thiruvananthapuram, who alleged that the actor harassed her on a film set in Thodupuzha.
These accusations have surfaced following the release of the Hema Committee report, which highlighted multiple sexual assault allegations within the Malayalam film industry. In response, the Kerala government has appointed a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the claims.