"Should have been charged months ago": BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar after Rahul Mamkootathil booked under rape charges

Ernakulam (Kerala) [India], November 28 (ANI): Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Kerala government after suspended Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil was booked on rape charges earlier today.
Chandrasekhar said that Mamkootathil should have been charged under the relevant sections long before and thanked the media and the victim for speaking out about the action taken against him.
"The Congress party leader, Rahul Mamkootathil, should have been charged under the appropriate sections of the law many months ago and questioned accordingly, but it is only thanks to media pressure and the victim speaking out... A case has finally been filed against him," Rahul Mamkootathil told ANI.
He further alleged that the current Kerala government, led by Left Democratic Front is seeking an understanding with the Congress to defeat the BJP and the NDA.
"A case has finally been filed against him..."There is another case in Calicut where Chandrasekhar INTUC, leader of the Congress party... CPM refuses to proceed against him. It is very clear that, in a desperate attempt to remain in power, the CPM is seeking an understanding with the Congress to defeat the BJP and the NDA," Chandrasekhar added.
Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty has stated that Congress leaders are still supporting suspended Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, against whom there are sexual assault allegations and that this is "nothing short of a challenge to the people of Kerala and to women in society."
Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil was suspended from the party in August.
"From what we understand, a young woman has submitted a very serious complaint against Rahul Mamkootathil directly to the Chief Minister. Anyone who has listened to the phone conversations between the girl and Rahul Mamkootathil would realise that the scale of abuse narrated is extremely shocking, something the public has perhaps never heard before. People of Kerala, cutting across political affiliations, have reacted with outrage," Sivankutty said.
Police have registered a case against MLA Rahul Mamkootathil based on a woman's complaint alleging sexual assault, rape on the pretext of marriage and forced abortion.
The FIR, initially lodged at the Nedumangad Valiyamala Police Station, was later transferred to the Nemom Police Station as the alleged incidents occurred within its jurisdiction.
The case has been registered under eight non-bailable sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, including Section 64 for rape, Section 64(2) for repeatedly committing rape on the same woman, Section 64(f) for rape by a person in a position of trust, Section 64(h) for rape on a woman knowing she is pregnant, and Section 64(m) for repeated rape on the same woman.
It also includes Section 89 of the BNS for causing miscarriage without a woman's consent, BNS 316 for criminal breach of trust, and Section 68(e) of the Information Technology Act relating to transmission of offensive digital content.
The offences cumulatively carry punishments ranging from ten years to life imprisonment. The action follows a direct written complaint that the survivor submitted to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. A team led by Rural SP KS Sudarsan subsequently recorded her detailed statement.
The complainant, accompanied by her brother, arrived at the Chief Minister's office around 4:30 pm on Thursday and handed over a three-page petition along with digital evidence including WhatsApp chats and audio recordings. After the Chief Minister forwarded the petition to ADGP H Venkatesh, a senior-level meeting was convened at the police headquarters to determine further steps.
With the FIR now registered, the police have begun procedures for the MLA's arrest. Although allegations surfaced as early as August, the woman had not appeared in person until now. The Crime Branch had already initiated a preliminary probe based on petitions filed by third parties to the State Police Chief and had identified the woman heard in the leaked audio recordings. (ANI)