Outraging woman’s modesty: Kerala police oppose film director, CPI(M) leader Kunju Muhammed’s anticipatory bail

Kerala police oppose bail of famous film director and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader PT Kunju Muhammad, former MLA, in a case related to the alleged insulting of the modesty of a woman filmmaker.

Deputy Cantonment Commissioner Stuart Keeler said: Hindu He said the police moved the court under Article 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to record the affidavit of the complainant before the judicial magistrate.

Lawsuit filed against filmmaker who sexually harassed film activist

Mr Muhammad is a well-known film director and former Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] The legislator from Perambra in Kozhikode district headed the jury that selected Malayalam films for the ongoing 30th Kerala International Film Festival.

The police case was that Mr Mohammed invited the woman to his suite at a luxury hotel on the pretext of discussing the film selection process and offended the woman’s modesty, forcing the “survivor” to flee on November 6.

On November 26, the woman filed a petition with the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), which forwarded the complaint to State Police Chief (SPC) Ravada Chandrasekhar for further investigation.

On December 2, Cantonal police charged Mr. Mohammed with outraging the chastity of a woman, unlawful detention, intimidation and trespass under relevant sections of the BNSS. They recorded the woman’s statement and filed an FIR against the principal in the First Class Magistrate’s Court-III in Thiruvananthapuram.

Authorities said the prosecution told the court that police had collected CCTV footage from the hotel’s security system showing the woman entering Mr Mohammed’s suite and leaving in a hurry.

The prosecution argued that Mr Mohammed’s judicial detention and subsequent detention for questioning and the collection of evidence, including private mobile phone conversations between him and the alleged victim, were necessary for further investigation of the case.

Additionally, the prosecution argued that granting bail to the defendant risks influencing witnesses and destroying evidence.

Mr Mohammed has since denied the allegation. He said the accusation stemmed from a possible misunderstanding of his actions and expressed his readiness to make a public apology.

Last week, Kerala State Chalachithra Academy vice-president Cuckoo Parameswaran said that the female filmmaker had complained to the academy and the academy had taken the complaint extremely seriously. He said the Academy also promised support to the complainant.