Rahul Mamkootathil, expelled Congress MLA, sent to three-day police custody in sexual assault case
Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, expelled from the Congress party amid mounting allegations, was arrested late Saturday night by Kerala Police in connection with a fresh sexual assault complaint.
A Kerala court in Pathanamthitta district on Tuesday granted custody of expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil to the police for three days in a sexual assault case. The court also said that Mankootathil's bail plea will be taken up for hearing on January 16. During the custody period, the police will take him for evidence collection as part of the ongoing investigation.
A Judicial First Class Magisterial court in Thiruvalla granted the MLA's custody to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the cases of sexual assault registered against him.
BJP youth wing activists throw rotten eggs
As he was escorted out of the court and taken to a police vehicle, protesters belonging to the CPI(M) and the BJP youth wings hurled rotten eggs at Mamkootathil.
Earlier in the day, CPI(M) and BJP youth wing activists staged intense protests against the MLA outside the jail, as well as at the taluk hospital in Thiruvalla, where he underwent a medical examination, and later outside the court.
The protestors held up placards of a rooster with his face and shouted slogans against him outside the jail, taluk hospital and the court.
Sexual assault case
Mamkootathil was arrested on Sunday in Palakkad in connection with a third sexual assault case. He was protected from arrest by the Kerala High Court in the first two cases of sexual assault against him.
The third sexual assault case was recently registered against the Palakkad MLA following a complaint lodged by a native of Kottayam district on January 8.
The woman, who is currently in Canada, gave her statement to the police via video conference.
According to news agency PTI sources, the complainant is a married woman who became acquainted with Mamkootathil in 2024 following issues in her marital life. She has told the police that Mamkootathil allegedly raped her at a hotel in April 2024 after promising to marry her.
When she became pregnant, Mamkootathil allegedly refused to take responsibility and threatened her to undergo an abortion, police had said.
The case was registered against Mamkootathil under sections 376(rape) and 506(1) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
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