Malayalam actor Jayasurya has denied allegations of rape and sexual harassment, calling himself a "living martyr" and claiming the cases are fabricated. He expressed concern over false accusations destabilizing families.
Thiruvananthapuram: Malayalam actor Jayasurya called himself a "living martyr" on Tuesday, asserting that he has been falsely accused in a rape case. He denied the allegations called the sexual assault case a fabricated one. "I don't even need anticipatory bail," he stated, expressing concern over the prevalence of false accusations.
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"It's alarming that people are making such claims against anyone. At least I have a platform to defend myself; many others do not. This could destabilize numerous families," he added.
Responded to the allegations, the actor stated that he had no friendship with the actress who accused him of sexual assault during a shoot at the Secretariat. He noted that the filming at the Secretariat in 2008 was permitted for only two hours, and claimed that the complainant was not present at the alleged location, as the shoot took place on a lower floor.
Regarding the second allegation of sexual assault in Thodupuzha in 2013, he insisted that it is also false. He pointed out that the filming for that movie had been completed in 2011, and clarified that the location was not Thodupuzha but rather Koothattukulam. Jayasurya stated that he is cooperating with the investigation and that he has not been arrested.
On Tuesday, the Kerala police summoned the actor to the Cantonment police station in Thiruvananthapuram at 10 AM and interrogated him regarding a rape complaint filed by an actress from Aluva. The actor has been booked for sexual harassment and outraging a woman's modesty in two distinct cases.
The charges against Jayasurya include sections 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), and 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Jayasurya is facing two cases, one for allegedly assaulting a woman during the filming of "De Ingottu Nokkiye" at the Kerala Secretariat in 2008, and another for harassing a female colleague on a film set in Thodupuzha. These allegations surfaced after the release of the Hema Committee report, which exposed multiple instances of sexual harassment and assault within the Malayalam film industry.
The report led to a significant backlash, with several high-profile industry figures, including actor Mukesh, facing similar allegations. In response, the Kerala government formed a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate these allegations.
The Kerala High Court, on September 23, closed Jayasurya’s bail petitions in both cases, indicating that the alleged incidents took place before 2013 and pertained only to bailable offenses. The actor was allowed to seek further legal action.
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