Actor assault case: Survivor moves HC fearing political interventions

Kochi: The survivor of the 2017 actor assault case has approached the Kerala High Court out of fear that the case is weakening and might get dissolved to nothing due to political interventions, IANS reported.

The survivor sought the HC's intervention in the case, alleging that a major intervention happened as the Crime Branch team was about to file a final report on the assault case on May 30 for further investigation. Through her petition, the survivor informed the court that though actor Dileep was arrested in 2017 itself, now the case seems withering. Since she has no other choice, she is approaching the HC, she said. Last month, the Chief of the Crime Branch, DGP S Sreejith, got unburdened off the lead of the case, and a new officer took charge. The move was attributed to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's new political advisor P Sasi, who is known for tinkering with key cases in the past.

Former State Congress president Mullapally Ramachandran commented that Vijayan, too, is a father to a daughter. "One fails to understand what's happening to the much-hyped stance of women's safety and security that you and your party often speak of. It was a surprise that when the investigation in the case was reaching a crucial juncture, the top official was removed. Things have reached a stage where people have lost faith in your handling of things, and hence, you have lost the moral right to continue," said Ramachandran.

IANS reports that film director Byju Kottarakara who always stood with the survivor since the beginning said that shocking news is coming out, and the media has even reported that a former police officer was given a bribe of Rs 50 lakhs to ensure that Dileep goes scot-free.

Actor Dileep is booked in two cases, the 2017 actor assault and conspiracy to do away with the police officials who accused him in the first case, in which is the 8th accused. The second case was registered in December last year.