Women Alleging Sexual Harassment Against MLA Rahul Mankootathil Decline Legal Action

Thiruvananthapuram: The two young women who raised sexual harassment allegations against MLA Rahul Mankootathil have stated their unwillingness to provide testimony or proceed with legal action. They conveyed their lack of interest in pursuing the matter to the Crime Branch investigation team.

The investigation was initiated based on six complaints received by the State Police Chief. However, the Crime Branch has been unable to record direct statements from the alleged victims.

While the investigating team had previously gathered statements from the complainants, significant evidence was not forthcoming from them. The investigation extended outside Kerala in search of evidence related to alleged forced abortions, but these efforts did not yield results. It was on this basis that the victims were re-approached for further information. However, they explicitly informed the investigation team that they were not interested in proceeding with the complaint.

The victims’ stance of being unwilling to provide testimony has put the investigation in a difficult position. Further actions will be considered after consulting with senior police officials. The Crime Branch had previously recorded statements from those who filed the complaints and those who had spoken with the young women. The investigation team had also obtained audio recordings and chats of Rahul Mankootathil allegedly pressuring for abortions.

An FIR was previously filed by the Crime Branch against Rahul Mankootathil in the Thiruvananthapuram Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in connection with the sexual harassment case. The charges mentioned in the FIR include stalking and harassing women through social media, threatening women over the phone, and sending threatening messages concerning abortion.