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Thiruvananthapuram: In a shocking case, a sexual harassment case has been registered against veteran film-maker and former legislator P T Kunju Muhammed following a complaint by a woman film-maker.
Kunju Muhammed, a known Left sympathiser, has been booked under non-bailable charges.
However, Kunju Muhammed has denied the allegations made against him by the complainant on December 8.
The Cantonment police registered the FIR after the complainant submitted a petition to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Police have since recorded her statement and collected CCTV footage from a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram where the alleged incident took place. However, questions remain over the delay in registering the case.
According to the complaint, the filmmaker allegedly misbehaved with the woman when she arrived at the hotel for a meeting related to the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), which begins this week. Kunju Muhammad is the jury chairman of IFFK.
There are also allegations that the Cantonment police were instructed not to register the case immediately and that the complaint was initially suppressed. Similar concerns had emerged earlier when the Chief Minister’s Office reportedly received a rape complaint against MLA Rahul Mankoottathil well before police took action.
Kunju Muhammed denies allegations
Responding to the allegations, Kunju Muhammed denied any misconduct.
“I am a film-maker who has consistently highlighted women’s issues. I never misbehaved with her. I suffer from several illnesses, and the complainant may have misunderstood. Still, I am willing to apologise,” he said.
