The survivor of the 2017 sexual assault case, Bhavana, met with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday at the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram. She later said that she was very satisfied with how it went, and could present all the concerns she had. “I have been given the assurance that [they] are completely with me in this case. I believe in the CM's words,” she said, coming out of the Secretariat on the morning of Thursday, May 26. Bhavana also informed the Chief Minister of the developments in the Court.
Only days ago, Bhavana had approached the High Court with concerns over the case, especially regarding the judge at the trial court in Ernakulam. In her petition she had also pointed out that Dileep, the actor accused of masterminding the assault on her, appeared to have influenced certain members of the ruling party.
However, Bhavana said on Thursday that she had never spoken anything against the government, though it came out differently somehow. “If it did, I apologise. Today I have only shared some concerns I had, and I got a positive response from the CM's side. I spoke to him about what happened in the court. I am very very happy with the assurance he has given me. I am very thankful for it and I believe in his words. He said that there will be every kind of support from the government in the investigation,” she added.
Bhavana reached the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram at 10 am on Thursday, to visit the CM with her husband Naveen. Actor and dubbing artist Bhagyalakshmy who came along with her waited outside while the meeting took place.
To questions about what other politicians spoke about the case, Bhavana said she had nothing to say about it. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, CPI(M) state secretary, wondered about the timing of her petition at the High Court, though he underlined that the government and the party were with the survivor. He was talking about the Thrikkakara bye-election taking place next week. CPI(M) leaders EP Jayarajan and MM Mani also spoke about the case, the former wondering about ulterior motives of the petition, and the latter calling it a shameless case.
However, Bhavana clarified that she approached the CM now since she felt this was the right time. The actor had slowly begun making her presence in the public, five years after the assault. It was in the beginning of this year that she put out a story on Instagram, revealing her identity as the victim of the assault who turned into a survivor. She gave interviews, and later appeared as a special guest at the International Film Festival of Kerala, making a huge impact.