An actress has filed a complaint against actor Siddique of raping her at a state-owned hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016. Police launched an arrest warrant against Siddique as the Kerala High Court rejected anticipatory bail plea in the rape case logged against him on Tuesday. After the rejection of bail Siddique was reported missing.
Kerala Police have launched search operation to trace him. The police have also issued a lookout notice at airports, they step up efforts to find Siddique.
Sources say the victim didn’t report the incident at first but decided to speak out after the Hema Committee report was released last month. The report exposed widespread abuse and harassment of women in the Malayalam film industry, encouraging other former actresses to share their own stories of exploitation.
Actress Statement on rape case against Siddique
According to complainant statement, the actress claimed that Siddique pressured her to offer sexual favoures in exchange for a role in a Tamil cinema. But when she refused, he allegedly raped her. She said, she was raped in Room of the Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. She also mentioned that from the room’s window, a swimming pool could be seen where the incident took place.
Siddique, who was recently elected as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), resigned from his position after the allegations came out, leading the entire committee, chaired by actor Mohanlal, to step down as well.
Manorama news reported, fearing of arrest the actor Siddique has decided to approach the case in Supreme Court. He is reportedly not at his residence and even his mobile phone remains switch off.
The High Court judgment came after the investigator team presented strong new, strong evidence and witness statement.
The Malayalam film industry has been shaken by several sexual misconduct allegations since the release of the Hema Committee report, which revealed the challenges faced by women in the industry. Following the report, police have filed 11 FIRs against various actors, directors, and producers. Siddique’s case is the latest in this series of high-profile allegations.
Other notable figures facing similar accusations include actor-turned-legislator Mukesh Madhavan, as well as actors Nivin Pauly, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, and Maniyanpilla Raju, along with directors Ranjith and Prakash.
