Actor Siddique appears before Kerala investigation team for questioning in rape case

He arrived at the office of the Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner today for questioning. However, the police informed him that the designated location for his questioning was not the Commissioner's office but rather the Control Room at the Cantonment Station in the State capital.

The museum police in Thiruvananthapuram registered a case against Siddique on August 27 this year under charges of rape and criminal intimidation, based on the complaint filed by a young actor who alleged that Siddique molested her in a city hotel in the year 2016. Siddique categorically denied the allegation.

The case is being investigated by a Special Investigation Team of the Kerala government.

Following a temporary bail granted by the Supreme Court, Siddique expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation and communicated his readiness to appear for questioning via email to the police. In response, a notice was issued to him to present himself for questioning.

The notice was served by an officer from the Narcotics Cell, who is overseeing the investigation.

Siddique is expected to be questioned today and subsequently released after the questioning is complete.

The Supreme Court had on September 30, granted interim protection from arrest to Siddique in connection with the ongoing investigation into the case.

A bench of justices, Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma, granted interim protection from arrest to Siddique on the conditions set by the trial court and subject to his joining in the investigation. The top court granted the interim protection while hearing the actor's petition seeking anticipatory bail. The apex court also issued notice to the Kerala government and victim in this regard.

Siddique had approached the Supreme Court seeking anticipatory bail in the case after it was dismissed by the Kerala High Court earlier this month. Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi and Advocate Ranjeeta Rohatgi represented Siddique in the apex court.

Appearing for Siddique, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi said that the complaint was lodged in 2024 after 8 years of the alleged incident. The advocate also said that the actor will present himself for investigation. The court questioned what the state had been doing for eight years.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati appearing for Kerala said that Siddique has acted in 365 Malayalam movies and it is not possible to talk about such alleged perpetrators. Advocate Vrinda Grover for the victim took the court through the case and apprised that the actor approached the victim in 2014 through Facebook.

Earlier, Kerala Police issued a lookout notice against actor Siddique, suspecting he may have fled the state in connection with the case. The notice has been issued to all district police chiefs in Kerala as well as the police chiefs of all states. Actor Siddique was allegedly on the run after the Kerala High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail application.

The Malayalam film industry has recently been rocked by a "Me Too" movement exposing various allegations of sexual abuse.

Following the allegations, Siddique resigned from his position as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). Consequently, the entire 17-member executive committee of AMMA also resigned.

Serious accusations have been made by several women actors against prominent figures in the industry, including director Ranjith and actors Mukesh, Jayasurya, and Edavela Babu, among others.

The surge in these allegations came in the wake of the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, which exposed disturbing accounts of harassment, exploitation, and the systematic mistreatment of women in the industry.

The report, made public on August 19, after redacting the names of witnesses and the accused, noted that the Malayalam film industry is controlled by about 10 to 15 male producers, directors, and actors who dominate and exert control over the industry. (ANI)