Congress Expels Kerala MLA Rahul Mamkootathil Following Multiple Rape Accusations

Thiruvananthapuram:

The Congress party officially expelled Kerala MLA Rahul Mamkootathil on Thursday after he went missing following rape accusations from two women. One accuser also alleged he forced her to undergo an abortion.

Sunny Joseph, the Congress state unit president, announced that after reviewing the allegations against the 36-year-old legislator, the party determined he could not remain a member of the organization.

While Mamkootathil had been suspended for six months in August, he had retained his position as a Congress lawmaker and Member of the Legislative Assembly. This partial action had drawn criticism from political opponents—both the ruling Left coalition and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party—ahead of upcoming elections.

Initially attempting to distance itself from the accused lawmaker, the Congress later claimed it had taken prompt action, including informing police when they became aware of the allegations.

Congress leader VD Satheesan asserted that no other political party in Kerala had ever taken such a decisive stance, accusing the ruling CPI(M) of suppressing similar complaints against its own leaders. "The Congress stands tall with pride," he stated, adding, "Let the police investigate and take action."

This declaration came shortly after a Thiruvananthapuram Sessions Court denied Mamkootathil's request for anticipatory bail.

The accused MLA has maintained that the allegations are politically motivated and designed to damage his reputation. While he acknowledged having a physical relationship with one of the accusers—who claimed he forced her to terminate a pregnancy—he insisted the relationship was consensual.

Law enforcement has been searching for Mamkootathil for approximately a week. He was reported missing on November 28 after the first case was registered, which included charges of rape, forced miscarriage, and criminal intimidation, based on a complaint submitted directly to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The husband of one accuser told NDTV he had no prior knowledge of his wife's allegations against the Palakkad legislator. He also mentioned that his family had become targets of social media attacks, stating, "I am upset about the cyberattacks. It is creating trauma for my parents and me..."

The second rape accusation against Mamkootathil emerged this week from a 23-year-old woman living outside Kerala, who sent her complaint to the Congress via email to Joseph.