THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Though a bold and proud moment for the LDF government, the arrest of actor Dileep in connection with the conspiracy behind the sexual assault on actor would present some embarrassment to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. There were allegations regarding the involvement of a prominent actor in the case, indirectly referring to Dileep, during the initial stages of the probe but the Chief Minister openly stated that there was no larger conspiracy behind the probe. This had invited overt and covert criticism. CPM sources, however, defended the Chief Minister’s statement saying he was only cautioning those who were floating stories about the case without basis.
It is understood that the chief minister, however, did a volte-face and gave the investigation team the full freedom to go ahead with the investigation. The strong position taken by the newly-constituted Women in Cinema Collective also compelled the government to dig further into the assault on actor. There were even reports that actor Manju Warrier, who was the first actor to publicly state that there was a criminal conspiracy behind the act, had personally conveyed her grievances to the chief minister in this connection.
The arrest has effectively dispelled the widespread disillusionment with the Kerala police, with many fearing that the investigation would end with the prime accused though they had suspected a criminal conspiracy behind it. It will also offer a face-saver for the embattled home department which has been mired in a series of controversies including internal strife which threatened to defile its very image. There were reports that Nadirsha, a close associate of Dileep, had visited a senior IPS official ahead of his questioning on June 29. Nadishah’s reported evasive replies and non-cooperation had the police let him and Dileep go after the marathon 13-hour questioning.
