Kerala police on Friday confirmed that an FIR has been registered against Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkoottathil after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her and pressuring her into terminating a pregnancy. The complaint, submitted earlier to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was later formalised at Valiyamala Police Station when officers recorded her statement late Thursday night.
According to officials familiar with the process, the woman’s detailed account was taken down by female officers at the Thiruvananthapuram Rural Police headquarters. The recording reportedly continued well into the night before authorities decided to proceed with registering the case.
Multiple Charges Under BNS; Court Procedures Next
Police said the FIR invokes several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those related to sexual assault on the basis of a false promise of marriage, forced abortion, and criminal intimidation. Investigators are now preparing to approach the Thiruvananthapuram Chief Judicial Magistrate Court to have the complainant’s confidential statement officially recorded.
According to ANI, Kerala Police said, “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.”
In addition to the legal steps, a medical examination of the woman is expected to be conducted soon as part of the evidence-gathering process. Officers indicated that the case will proceed on priority given the nature of the allegations and the public interest surrounding it.
MLA Missing As Police Attempt To Track Him
As the investigation advances, Mamkoottathil is reportedly untraceable. Congress functionaries in Palakkad said Mamkoottathil had been seen campaigning in the Kanadi region for local body polls until around 4 p.m. on Thursday, as per PTI. After that, both he and a close aide disappeared from public view, raising further questions about his whereabouts.
This is not the first controversy involving the suspended Congress MLA. The Crime Branch had previously registered a case based on audio recordings and chat messages submitted by third parties, as the woman had initially refrained from approaching authorities herself.
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