Kochi: Marred by sexual assault allegations, the Malayalam film industry has come under fire as police booked more prominent figures. Police slapped rape charges against actors Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju and Edavela Babu over a complaint filed by a female artist in Kochi. Fort Kochi police registered a case against Maniyanpilla Raju, while Ernakulam North police booked Edavela Babu. Maradu police booked Mukesh under IPC section 376 (rape), 354 ( outraging modesty of women), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 454 (trespassing).
Charges under IPC sections 354 and 376 (rape) are slapped against Edavela Babu and Maniyanpilla Raju. As per the FIR, Edavela Babu, former general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), sexually assaulted the female artist after offering her membership in the actors’ body.
The same complainant accused Jayasurya, Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju, Adv VS Chandrasekharan, production controllers Vichu and Noble of sexually abusing her. Manorama News reported that police booked all seven accused after the Special Investigation Team recorded the woman’s complaint on Wednesday.