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Suspended Congress leader and Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil faces mounting legal trouble as the Kerala Police Crime Branch, on Thursday, August 28, formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe accusations of sexual misconduct and cyber harassment against him.
Director General of Police, Crime Branch, H Venkatesh, confirmed to TNM that the SIT will include cyber forensic experts due to the digital nature of the alleged offences. DySP V Binu Kumar is named as the investigating officer. The move follows the registration of a Zero First Information Report (FIR) on Wednesday to initiate the probe.
The Crime Branch was initially constrained by the lack of formal complaints from women who raised allegations through social and conventional media. However, a widely circulated audio clip, in which a man was heard pressuring a woman to undergo an abortion under threat, sparked a public outcry, forcing the police to act.
Highlighting the audio clip, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan termed the remark as “criminal thinking” and pointed out that the threatening WhatsApp messages and cyberstalking bore the hallmarks of a serial offender. He assured legal protection for victims, even as he declined to confirm whether police had received specific complaints.
The suo moto case, filed on August 27 under directions from State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar, includes charges of stalking, criminal intimidation, as well as harassment via anonymous calls and messages.
Rahul Mamkootathil, suspended from the Congress following the allegations, has denied that the voice in the leaked clip is his, alleging a political conspiracy and possible fabrication of evidence. Despite pressure from Congress leadership, he has not issued legal notices to accusers or formally sought a probe to verify the audio.
The SIT is expected to summon Rahul for questioning, confiscate electronic devices, and seek court permission for cyber forensic analysis, including recovery of tampered files, tracing IP addresses, and timestamp verification.
Statements from women who came forward, including writer Honey Bhaskaran and actor-model Rini Ann George, who recounted harassment experiences without naming Rahul directly, may also be recorded.
The controversy has already cost Rahul his position as president of the state unit of the Indian Youth Congress, and his suspension from the party followed soon after. While demands for his resignation as MLA persist, Congress has deferred a decision amid political calculations in Palakkad, where the BJP is eager to gain ground.