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A case of rape has been filed against Malayalam film actor and producer Vijay Babu in Ernakulam of Kerala. A woman actor has filed a complaint against him for alleged rape while she sought opportunities to act. Vijay Babu has since been absconding. The police have issued a lookout notice for him and reports say that searches have begun outside Kerala. However, on the night of April 26, Tuesday, Vijay Babu came online on Facebook Live, breaking the law by naming the woman actor who filed the case.
Vijay Babu is charged under the sections 376 (sexual assault), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The case has been filed at the Ernakulam City Commissioner's office. "I respect the law of the land but here I am the victim and my name has come out. So why shouldn't the other party's name come out too," Vijay claims in his Live video and goes on to name the young actor, in a clear violation of the law. He claims that she won the chance to act in one of his films through an audition and he had never 'chatted with her' all that time.
"Let this be a break to Me Too," he says, referring to the movement that had enabled many women to come out and speak about the various abuses they have been through at the hands of powerful men. Vijay Babu claims that the woman began messaging him towards the end of last year, and he met her in March this year. He is ready to publish nearly 400 screenshots of the messages, he says, adding that he will file a counter case of defamation. However, the producer carefully makes no mention of the incident or what transpired in April.
According to police sources, the alleged rape happened in the month of April and the woman had been subjected to a medical test. A few years ago actor and co-producer Sandra Thomas had filed a case of assault against Vijay Babu which was later withdrawn. That time too, he had come on a Facebook live and proclaimed his innocence.