Actor-model Shiyas Kareem, who shot to fame with the reality show Bigg Boss Malayalam, was recently arrested in a case of sexual assault and extortion and was released on bail on Saturday, October 7. When the complaint was filed against Shiyas on September 16, the day of his engagement, his first public reaction to the news was a video of him abusing the media for reporting the complaint against him. However, he soon left the country and changed his social media tactics. In the days that followed, Shiyas's social media pages were flooded with pictures from his engagement. The abusing, leering Shiyas was replaced with the ‘happy bride-groom’.
On September 17, he flew to Dubai, while the FIR against him was active in Kerala. From Dubai, he posted a video of his bachelor party, with the hugely popular “Malabari Banger” playing in the background. Shiyas, who is surrounded by several men, is shown cutting a cake, dancing, and posing for pictures. Throughout the course of the three weeks since the complaint was filed, his Instagram page that has a following of 8.81 lakh, carried pictures from his engagement and nikah, brand collaborations, and even a workout video that said, “Better days are coming, be patient. No regrets in life, just lessons learned”. This went on while the Kerala police had already issued a lookout notice against him. It was when he landed at the Chennai airport from Dubai, that he was arrested.
Similar incidents had played out when YouTuber Shakhir Subhan, popularly known as ‘Mallu Traveller’, was accused of sexual assault by a Saudi Arabian woman. Soon after the Ernakulam Central police station registered a complaint against him, Shakir left the country. He posted a ‘reaction video’ justifying himself, and followed it up with others, explaining the progress of the case.
Besides these, he also posted travel videos and pictures from Canada, the United Kingdom, and Dubai. On his birthday on September 17, he even put up a picture captioned, “Happy Birthday to me” on his Instagram account that has 22 lakh followers. Shakhir too has a lookout notice in his name issued by the Kerala police. He still remains outside India, openly stating that he doesn't wish to "taint his name" by returning to India and getting arrested.
In April 2022, actor-producer Vijay Babu had also aired a Facebook live soon after he was accused of sexually assaulting a junior actor. Not only did he flout the laws by naming the survivor, he also went ahead to shame her and justify himself by calling it a "consensual affair". Vijay also flew to Dubai to evade arrest initially. He was later taken into custody and let out on conditional bail.
For someone unaware of the sexual assault allegations against these men, their social media posts would give away no hint of it — just ‘ordinary’ men who ‘valued’ their friendships and their family. In a society steeped in patriarchy, their gender privilege also grants the accused men considerable credibility and support. To a close observer, the posts of both Shiyas and Shakir reveal a deliberate attempt at a messaging that favours them, presents themselves as the ones wronged, and resorts to victim blaming. The impunity they enjoy in online spaces allows them to abuse their social media clout to build a positive image, even when they have been booked for cognizable, non-bailable offences, and leave the country to evade arrest.
As news of his arrest spread, Shiyas’s Instagram page carried two videos, in what comes off as a crude attempt to project himself as the ‘truth’. The location on both videos reads Chennai International Airport, suggesting that the timing of their release was no coincidence.
The first one was a clip from an unrelated interview given by Malayalam television actor Sadhika Venugopal. With disturbing conviction, she says, “I always say that the rights of women should be taken away. The law offers a certain privilege to women, if they file a complaint against a man, he gets arrested instantly. What is the need for that? Even if it's for a day, the man is put in jail before the veracity of the allegation is checked. If a man accuses a woman of harassment, he does not enjoy the same privilege. A lot of women use this to extort money or destroy families.” The anchor, also a woman, actively agrees, saying, “It is easier for women.” Shiyas’s caption for the video said, “This right.”
The second video is a clip from a speech delivered by actor Rajinikanth at the audio launch of one of his films. “There is no dog that doesn't bark, no mouth that doesn't slander, and no village that doesn’t have either. We should focus on our goals and strive forward,” the actor says.
Several social media users commented under the video in solidarity, saying, "Let the dogs bark," "The Truth will come out," and "I believe Shiyas." Another comment read, "Several women have stepped out with the aim of extorting money, this act is also for money. Shiyas Perumbavoor is a real gentleman." Meanwhile, some users questioned the abuse of his social media clout, saying, "No matter what boys do, social media always extends support to them."
Not only do such tactics help create a public image of an ‘untainted’ man unfairly accused of a crime he didn’t commit, but they can also potentially turn the case in his favour. Advocate and human rights activist Sandhya Raju explained how the videos and posts may influence the legal process. “Everyone tries to manipulate the court. Even though the courts may not see it all, that doesn’t mean the courts don’t see anything at all. Such messaging can also influence the police officers investigating the case, witnesses, and even the public prosecutor appearing for the survivor,” she said.
Such a scenario did play out in the Vijay Babu case, where the judge, while granting bail, observed that consensual relationships “should not be converted into instances of rape”.
As soon as he was released on bail on October 7, Shiyas posted another video, purportedly a ‘throwback’. This time, the camera is trained on him, while he is in conversation with someone else. An excited Shiyas is seen fist pumping the air, while the audio says, “Do you know who is the most dangerous in this world? Your friend who knows everything about you,” with a beat that gradually rises to a crescendo.
Advocate Sandhya, who called the posts an intimidation tactic, said, “Courts grant bail to accused persons on the grounds that they do not intimidate the complainant. However, with access to such large audiences, the social media messaging of people like Shiyas and Shakhir will not only intimidate the survivor, but also influence the investigation and trial.” For the accused, their large social media following and celebrity status become a means to “whitewash” themselves, she said.
“In such cases, it is important for survivors to act early on,” Sandhya said. She elaborated that survivors often chose to stay silent and let the law take its course so as to not draw attention to themselves. However, she said, the period between filing the First Information Report and the submission of the chargesheet is crucial. In cases where the accused has considerable sway in society, survivors should take legal precautions to avoid the investigation from being influenced, Sandhya said. In cases like that of Shiyas or Shakhir, “the survivor must get a court injunction saying that their social media posts amount to witness intimidation”.
“When survivors choose to lie low, the accused will try to establish their ‘innocence’ by leveraging their celebrity status. Such cases seem to have a ‘filmy setting’, and constant projection of ‘innocence’ by the accused can influence even the prosecutor and the police dealing with the case. The accused should not be given the space to whitewash themselves," Sandhya said.
Acknowledging that survivors of sexual assault may not always be in a position to meticulously keep track of daily developments in the case or follow up with the investigation, she said that it is important for them to have a lawyer who “will deal with the case clinically”.