Pathanamthitta, 11 Jan

Expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil was arrested in connection with a sexual assault case after being taken into custody from Palakkad in the small hours on Sunday, police sources said.

He was shifted to a police camp here on Sunday morning, officials added.

According to police, a third sexual assault case was recently registered against the Palakkad MLA following a complaint filed by anative of Pathanamthitta district.

The survivor, who is currently in Canada, gave her statement to the police via video conference.

According to sources, the complainant is a married woman who became acquainted with Mamkootathil following issues in her marital life.

She told the police that Mamkootathil allegedly raped her after promising to marry her.

When she became pregnant, Mamkootathil allegedly refused to take responsibility and threatened her to undergo an abortion, police said.

The suri also claimed that Mamkootathil took money from her on several occasions.

After registering the case, the police kept Mamkootathil under surveillance, following which a six-member team led by a Deputy SP reached the hotel room where he was staying at around 12.45am, sources said

He was taken into custody from the hotel at around 1 am and shifted to the Pathanamthitta police camp at about 5.30 am.

The Special Investigation Team, which is probing two other cases of a similar nature against him, has also been entrusted with the investigation of the latest case, sources said.

SIT head G Poonguzhali arrived at the police camp and is interrogating Mamkootathil.

After the preliminary interrogation, his arrest was recorded.

He will be produced before the court later.

The Kerala High Court had earlier granted interim protection from arrest to Mamkootathil in the first case, which relates to allegations of rape and forcing a woman to undergo an abortion.

In the second case, a sessions court in Thiruvananthapuram had granted him anticipatory bail.

Following the allegations, the Congress expelledMamkootathil from the party.

Mamkootathil successfully contested the by-election from Palakkad last year after Congress leader Shafi Parampil, who had earlier represented the constituency, won the Lok Sabha by-poll from Vadakara in Kozhikode district.

Palakkad District Congress Committee (DCC) president A Thankappan said that Mamkootathil is no longer associated with the party.

“It is true that he won the election on a Congress ticket. However, once complaints were received and cases were registered against him, the party expelled him,” Thankappan said.

He said it was up to Mamkootathil to decide whether he should resign from the MLA post.

“There are leaders in other parties who are facing similarly serious cases. Questions should be raised with them about what action has been taken,” he added.

Meanwhile, BJP leader PK Krishnadas alleged that the Congress was standing more with Mamkootathil than with the survivors.

“The Congress has neither asked Mamkootathil to resign from the MLA post nor obtained his resignation letter. He contested the election on a Congress ticket, and the party has a responsibility to seek his resignation,” Krishnadas told a TV channel.

Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty said that there were not just two or three, but dozens of complaints against the Palakkad MLA.

“Congress should ensure that his position does not give him any kind of protection. We have information that the Congress camp is still supporting him. The law will take its own course,” he said.

Sivankutty said that even after cases were registered, Mamkootathil attended several public events with the support of Congress leaders.

He said that during the LDF tenure in the state, several influential persons, including Bishop Franco Mulakkal, actor Dileep, Tantri Rajeevaru, Mamkootathil, politician P C George, antique fraud case accused Monson Mavunkal, former Manjeswaram MLA M V Kamaruddin, and activist Rahul Easwar, were arrested.

“This clearly shows that, irrespective of how influential or prominent they are, no protection is granted by the government under Pinarayi Vijayan, who is also handling the home department. Despite their influence, those accused of crimes were brought before the law,” he said.

He asked whether there was any other state where a Chief Minister had taken such firm action.

“Apart from being a model of development, the Pinarayi Vijayan government has also taken an impartial stand in bringing people, including prominent personalities, before the law if they commit any crime,” he added.