|
Kerala political youth organisations, including the BJP's Yuva Morcha and the CPM's Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), staged protests in Pathanamthitta on Tuesday. The demonstrators demanded that Rahul Mamkootathil should not be released unless he resigns from his position as an MLA.
The protest came after the Thiruvalla First Class Magistrate Court remanded expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil to the custody of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for three days in connection with the third rape case registered against him. Meanwhile, Kerala Leader of the Opposition (LoP) VD Satheeshan defended the Congress party's handling of the case. He said the party had acted decisively even before formal complaints were filed, first suspending and later expelling Mamkootathil once a complaint reached the KPCC president. Satheeshan stressed that the Congress had taken stronger action than most parties and maintained that it had no authority to force an MLA's resignation once he was expelled from the party. "Let law take its own course," he said, adding that the party's stand against crimes against women was clear and consistent. Mamkootathil was earlier remanded to 14 days' judicial custody following his arrest in Palakkad based on a fresh sexual assault complaint received via email. The third complaint includes allegations of physical assault, financial exploitation and forced abortion. The probe into the first rape case has been transferred to the Kerala Police Crime Branch under Assistant Inspector General G Poonguzhali to ensure a consolidated investigation. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said more serious revelations could emerge, as several survivors may still be reluctant to come forward. The cases include charges of rape, repeated sexual assault, rape on the pretext of marriage, forced abortion and transmission of offensive digital content under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, carrying penalties ranging from ten years to life imprisonment. (ANI)
|
