Sexual assault cases against Maniyanpilla Raju and Edavela Babu

Kochi: The Malayalam film industry has come under fire over allegations of sexual harassment as police have been arresting more and more well-known personalities. Police have filed rape charges against actors Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju and Edavela Babu based on a complaint filed by a woman artist in Kochi. Fort Kochi police have registered a case against Maniyanpilla Raju while Ernakulam North police have arrested Edavela Babu. Maradu police have arrested Mukesh under IPC sections 376 (rape), 354 (outraging modesty of woman), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 454 (trespass).

Edavela Babu and Maniyanpilla Raju are facing charges under sections 354 and 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (rape). According to the FIR, Edavela Babu, the former general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), sexually harassed the artist after offering her membership of the actors' association.

The same complainant accused Jayasurya, Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju, Adv VS Chandrasekharan, production managers Vichu and Noble of sexually assaulting her. Manorama News reported that the police arrested all seven accused after the Special Investigation Team registered the woman's complaint on Wednesday.