Second Woman Files Sexual Assault Case Against Kerala MLA Rahul Mamkootathil as Congress Takes Swift Action

Thiruvananthapuram:

Police are intensively searching for missing Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil as another woman has come forward with a sexual assault complaint against the legislator.

A 23-year-old woman residing outside Kerala emailed her complaint to the party high command and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). The party's state leadership forwarded the complaint to the state police chief, though DGP Ravada A Chandrasekhar stated he has not yet received it.

Mamkootathil has been missing since police registered a sexual assault and forced abortion case against him based on a complaint submitted to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan last week.

In her complaint, the woman alleged that Mamkootathil "grievously exploited, assaulted, and emotionally abused" her under "the false promise of marriage." She decided to come forward after learning about similar allegations to prevent other women from falling "prey to his predatory behaviour." Her statement details meeting Mamkootathil years ago and being "sexually assaulted" in a homestay-like building after being deceived with marriage promises. The complaint also implicates Feni Ninan, a close associate of Mamkootathil.

The Congress leadership promptly forwarded the complaint to police authorities. KPCC chief Sunny Joseph confirmed receiving the complaint via email, stating, "This is the first time I am getting a complaint in this regard, and immediately, as a law-abiding citizen, I forwarded it to the police."

Opposition Leader V D Satheesan emphasized that Joseph forwarded the complaint to the DGP without keeping it "even for an hour." Although the complaint initially sought party-level action, it was immediately handed to police since it involved criminal allegations. Satheesan claimed no other party in Kerala had taken such a strong stance, accusing the ruling CPI(M) of burying similar complaints against its leaders through internal inquiries.

"The Congress stands tall with pride," Satheesan declared. "Let the police investigate and take action."

He affirmed the party would not protect anyone and supported proper police investigation of any wrongdoing.

Senior leader K Muraleedharan noted that despite the complaint being unnamed, the KPCC chief forwarded it to the DGP due to its serious nature. "In his reply to the complainant's email, the KPCC chief stated that since the accused had already been suspended from the party, the matter was being forwarded to the police. He also advised her to cooperate with the investigation," Muraleedharan explained.

Former minister and MLA A P Anilkumar defended the party's position, stating that Congress had taken all possible organizational actions against Mamkootathil as soon as allegations surfaced.

However, Ninan rejected the allegations, claiming they were part of a political conspiracy ahead of upcoming elections. "I do not know the complainant. But I am fully aware that no such incident ever took place. Everything written in the complaint is an outright lie," Ninan told reporters in Pathanamthitta. He threatened legal action against both the complainant and news outlets reporting on the matter.

According to the FIR registered on November 28 based on the earlier complaint, Mamkootathil allegedly raped the complainant, who was pregnant, over two days at an apartment during the last week of May.

The suspended legislator has remained untraceable since the case registration. He has filed an anticipatory bail plea before the Thiruvananthapuram District and Principal Sessions Court, scheduled for consideration on December 3.

Besides Mamkootathil, his friend Joby Joseph is also named as an accused and remains untraceable. Joseph allegedly administered a pill to the complainant inside a car on May 30 to terminate her pregnancy.

The case includes charges under Sections 64(2)(f) (rape by a person in a position of trust or authority), 64(2)(h) (rape knowing the woman is pregnant), 64(2)(m) (repeated rape of the same woman), 89 (causing miscarriage without consent), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (joint criminal liability) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Police have additionally invoked Section 66(E) of the Information Technology Act for alleged recording and threatened misuse of private images.

Mamkootathil was suspended from Congress party membership on August 25. He previously resigned as Youth Congress state president after Malayalam actress Rini Ann George accused a young leader of misbehavior, triggering protests by the BJP and DYFI, the youth wing of CPI(M).

Subsequently, several women and a transgender person have also made allegations against him.

Mamkootathil was elected as MLA in November last year in a by-election to the Palakkad seat, following former MLA Shafi Parambil's election to the Lok Sabha from Vatakara.