Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly who joined the list of Mollywood celebrities who were charged with various allegations of sexual harassment, held a press conference where he claimed that the allegations are fake and that he did not even know the complainant.
Published Sep 03, 2024 | 10:29 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 04, 2024 | 10:28 AM
Nivin Pauly held a press conference where he dismissed rape allegations against him as false
Following allegations of rape and the subsequent FIR filed against him in Kerala’s Ernakulam, Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly held a press conference on Tuesday, 3 September where he denied all allegations.
At the press conference held at the IMA Hall in Kochi, he denied having even known the survivor and said that media should verify such claims before turning it into “breaking news” or “flashy headlines.”
The actor said this on the same day he joined the long list of Mollywood celebrities who have been accused of sexual harassment ever since the release of the Justice Hema Committee report. Earlier in the day, it came to light that a woman had filed a complaint of rape against Nivin Pauly, who allegedly raped her in Dubai last year on the pretext of offering her a job opportunity.
The CI of Oonnukal Police Station in Kerala’s Ernakulam earlier told South First that the case has been filed against several people, in which, the first accused is a woman. The CI further told that the case filed against Nivin Pauly is non-bailable and the FIR will be transferred to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Kerala police for further investigation.
Addressing the media persons, Nivin Pauly said, “I don’t know the girl. The allegations are false. Media should verify information before turning it into breaking news or flashy headlines. I will fight this legally and prove my innocence.”
Claiming that such false accusations can disrupt the entire system, he added, “Someone needs to speak up against such baseless claims, and I am here standing up for anyone who is facing similar situations. I urge the media to stand by me when the truth comes out.”
He said that he was contacted by oonukal police a month ago, who then deemed the accusations fake and closed the case. “Now, she has resurfaced with the same false accusations,” he added.
Based on the complaint copy accessed by South First, Nivin Pauly faces charges under several sections related to rape and outraging a woman’s modesty, including sections 376 (rape), 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman), and 376D (gang rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The other accused in the case are Shreya, Binu, Basheer, AK Sunil and Kuttan.
The Hema Committee report, released on 19 August after being kept in storage for five years, has led to an another wave of ‘Me Too’ in India, this time predominantly in Mollywood. Even though only a redacted version has been released, it continues to cause huge ripple effects as more survivors are coming forward everyday with accusations of various kinds of sexual abuse by top men in the film industry.
(Edited by Neena with inputs from Sreelakshmi)
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