Cong, BJP intensify demand for Mukesh's resignation; hold protests in parts of Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress and the BJP on Thursday further intensified their call for the resignation of CPI(M) MLA M Mukesh, accused in a rape case, with protests being held by both parties and their wings outside his residence here and other parts of the state.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan said it was wrong to say that the Congress did not seek the resignation of Mukesh.

"Right at the beginning, we sought his resignation. We only said that he and the CPI(M) have to take a decision regarding that," the opposition leader told reporters here.

Satheesan also said the Left government in the state sat on the Justice Hema Committee report for over four years to prevent disclosure of the culprits' names.

He said that due to the inaction of the state government on the recommendations and findings of the committee report, the film industry was being destroyed.

"The CPI(M) is in the dock on these issues," he said.

He also said protests were held in various parts of the state by his party, Mahila Congress and the Youth Congress demanding the resignation of the CPI(M) MLA.

Satheesan said protests were also being held across the state by the Congress seeking action on the recommendations and findings of the Hema Committee report.

Youth Congress activists protested outside Mukesh's residence in Thiruvananthapuram, where the police had set up barricades to prevent access to his home.

TV channels showed some protestors jumping over the barricades, and the police deployed there, taking them into custody.

The channels also showed the BJP's youth wing, Yuva Morcha, holding a protest march in Kollam city, where one of the protestors wore a photo of Mukesh as a mask and held a chicken in both hands.

'Kozhi' -- which in Malayalam refers to chicken -- is a colloquial usage describing a man who behaves inappropriately with women.

Both the Congress and the BJP have been demanding the resignation of Mukesh ever since the allegations against him surfaced.

The call was intensified following the registration of a rape case against the CPI(M) legislator.

An FIR under IPC 376 (rape) was registered against the actor at Maradu police station in Kochi city on Wednesday night, a police officer said.

The case was registered under the IPC as the offence allegedly occurred before the new Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita came into force, he said.

This is the third FIR against a high profile Malayalam film personality following allegations of sexual harassment against various directors and actors in the wake of revelations in the Justice K Hema Committee report.

On Wednesday, Thiruvananthapuram Museum police had booked actor Sidhique for allegedly raping an actress in a hotel eight years ago.

The first case, under IPC Section 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty), was against director Ranjith on a complaint by a female actor from West Bengal regarding an incident which occurred in 2009.

Following the allegation by the actor, Ranjith had resigned from his post as chairman of the state-run Kerala Chalachitra Academy.

Sidhique had also resigned as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) following the allegations against him.

The Justice Hema Committee was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case and its report revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.

Amidst allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation cropping up against several actors and directors, the state government on August 25 announced the establishment of a seven-member special investigation team to probe them.