Actor-politician Mukesh, who is an MLA of the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala, has been booked by the police, on Thursday, August 29, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman actor. He has been booked by the Maradu police, based on a complaint filed by the survivor. According to police sources, Mukesh has been charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).
Speaking to media persons, the survivor said that she has filed complaints against seven persons, in connection with incidents that happened between 2008 and 2012. The survivor had earlier told TNM that Mukesh had harassed her on multiple instances many years ago, but she did not file a complaint because she was a newcomer in the industry and was scared.
Mukesh was accused of sexual harassment by an actor on August 26, nearly six years after casting director Tess Joseph named him in a Me-Too allegation that went unheard. The allegation came in the wake of the release of the Hema Committee report, which shed light on the rampant misogyny and abuse of power in the Malayalam film industry.
The survivor first made the allegation against Mukesh and six others through a Facebook post. On August 27, she sent separate email complaints against each of them — including actors Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, and Maniyanpilla Raju, production controllers Noble and Vichu, as well as producer and Lawyers’ Congress president VS Chandrasekharan — to the Kerala police.
Mukesh, however, dismissed the allegations, claiming that they were part of efforts to “blackmail” him. In a statement, he said that he would take strong legal action against those trying to “ruin his life by creating a smokescreen of allegations.” When asked about this allegation, the survivor told reporters that Mukesh must clarify why he chose to be silent about the blackmail, despite being an MLA. Also, questions have been raised over Mukesh’s presence in a committee set up in 2023 by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) to develop a film policy for the state.
