Will Malayalam actor Siddique be arrested in rape case for non-cooperation with police? What we know

Malayalam actor Siddique appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Saturday for questioning in a rape case. This is his second appearance, following a four-hour interrogation earlier in the week. The case was filed after a young actress accused him of sexually assaulting her at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram while promising her a film role. Siddique arrived at the Thiruvananthapuram district police command center around 10:40 am.

Last week, the Supreme Court granted him interim protection from arrest after the Kerala High Court rejected his bail plea, citing the seriousness of the charges. He faces charges under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

Siddique denied the allegations, saying the complainant was making false accusations since 2019. Her case is part of a wider probe into sexual harassment allegations against Malayalam cinema personalities, based on the Justice K committee’s report Hema. Several FIRs were registered during the investigation.

Siddique was questioned by the SIT for around three hours on October 7. He had earlier sent an email to the SIT, saying he was ready to cooperate. In August, the Thiruvananthapuram Museum police booked him under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, based on a complaint filed by a colleague. She alleged that Siddique sexually assaulted her at Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram on January 28, 2016. Siddique denied the allegations.

On September 24, the Kerala High Court denied Siddique’s anticipatory bail, emphasizing the seriousness of the charges and the need for custodial interrogation for thorough investigation. However, on September 30, the Supreme Court granted him protection from arrest. Siddique’s case is one of several cases against prominent figures in the Malayalam film industry following the Justice Hema committee report.

Siddique had claimed in court that the actress had been harassing him since 2019 by repeatedly claiming on social media that he had tried to misbehave sexually with her in a theater in 2016, and after the publication of the committee’s report justice Hema, she made a more serious statement. rape allegation at another location the same year.

(With inputs from PTI)