Woman Files A Sexual Harassment Complaint Against Suspended Congress leader Rahul Mamkootathil With Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan refused to comment when asked about the complaint filed by the woman against the MLA, even as reporters approached him at a function venue in Thiruvananthapuram.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A woman has filed a sexual harassment complaint against suspended Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Thursday.
The woman personally handed over the complaint, along with digital evidence including a pen drive containing WhatsApp chats and audio conversations, to the Chief Minister.
The complaint was forwarded to the Crime Branch for further action, and her statement will be recorded soon.
A few days ago, an audio clip of a phone conversation surfaced in which a man, allegedly Rahul, was heard telling a woman to "stop the drama about her pregnancy," while she questioned him about why he forced her to get pregnant in the first place. Screenshots of WhatsApp chats also emerged.
This is the first formal complaint against Rahul, who was forced to resign as the State Youth Congress president on August 21 following allegations of misconduct.
Responding to the complaint in a Facebook post, the MLA stated that as long as he is convinced no crime was committed, he will continue the legal fight, expressing confidence that everything will be proven in both the court of justice and the court of public opinion, adding that the truth will prevail.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan refused to comment when asked about the complaint filed by the woman against the MLA, even as reporters approached him at a function venue in Thiruvananthapuram.
Opposition Leader V D Satheeshan chose not to comment on the development, staying tight-lipped despite repeated questions from the media.
AICC in charge of Kerala, Deepa Dasmunshi, said the law will take its own course. “Legally, the ball is now in the Chief Minister’s court. We are with the law. This person (Rahul) has already been suspended from the party. We cannot comment on him,” she told reporters.
She added that the survivor should ideally have gone to the police station with the complaint before approaching the Chief Minister. However, since she has faith in the Chief Minister, perhaps that’s why she submitted the complaint to him.
Adding to Mamkootathil’s troubles, Youth Congress state general secretary Sajana B Sajan filed a complaint on Thursday with the AICC and Congress general secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi. She called for an inquiry commission made up of women leaders to speak with the survivors and fully investigate the matter. Sajana also remarked that the case has raised public suspicion that Congress handles such issues with double standards, a perception she says must be addressed through strict action.
CPM state secretary M V Govindan said that Rahul has no right to remain before the people and should immediately resign as MLA. In view of the evidence, the Congress party should either make him resign or he should step down on his own.
Former BJP state president K Surendran demanded the immediate arrest of Rahul and called for a thorough investigation into the allegations against him. He claimed the MLA had sexually exploited several women, calling it a serious matter.
The complaint against Rahul has come as a major setback for the Congress-led UDF in the middle of their local body election campaign, with polls in the state scheduled in two phases on December 9 and 11.
Rahul had been actively campaigning for the Congress-led UDF candidate in Palakkad district, addressing election meetings and participating in door-to-door campaigns.
