Nivin Pauly Booked in Gang Rape Case Amid MeeToo in Mollywood, Malayalam Actor Denies Allegations

MeeToo in Mollywood: Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly was arrested on Tuesday on rape charges following a 40-year-old woman’s complaint. She alleged that he had sexually attacked her in Dubai more than a year ago. Pauly has denied the allegations and promised to pursue all legal avenues to establish his innocence. Six people, one of whom is a woman, were named in the FIR filed under section 376 of the IPC, according to an officer of the Oonnukal police station.
Pauly is the sixth accused and a woman is the first accused. The police stated that the incident happened in Dubai more than a year ago, according to the woman. The actor stated in a social media post a few hours after the FIR was filed that the accusations were ‘entirely untrue.’ He said, “I’m determined to go to any extent to prove these allegations are baseless and will take all necessary steps to bring those responsible to light. Thank you for your concern. The rest will be handled legally.”

pic.twitter.com/7WlEj6xt1N
— Nivin Pauly (@NivinOfficial) September 3, 2024

Subsequently, he held a press conference where he reiterated that the allegations against him were false and added, “This is a deliberate allegation and I believe there is a conspiracy behind it” He further said that he did not know the complainant and had never seen or spoken to her.
The actor claimed that about 1.5 months prior, he received a phone call from an Oonnukal police station officer informing him that they had received a complaint of sexual assault against him from a woman. “When I denied knowledge about the allegations, the officer said they were convinced that the complaint was false and they were going to close it,” he said.
The actor further said that the officer and his lawyer advised him not to file a case against the complainant as some persons make such complaints merely for publicity. “So, I did not pursue that then,” he said.
Pauly said he will take all possible legal measures to prove his innocence and will fight it to the very end as he believes that ‘we need to put a stop to such fake allegations.’
“So, I will fight it, not just for me, but for others who might face such fake allegations in the future,” he said. The actor also said that he would file a case against the complainant for trying to defame him and the complaint was being prepared.
He further said that he would cooperate with the investigation and requested the media to ascertain the facts or truth behind the allegations before publicising them. “Such allegations affect our close family. Thankfully, my family’s support is with me,” he said.
Following the release of the Justice K Hema Committee report, Pauly is one of the numerous actors and directors who are being accused of sexual harassment or rape by female performers.
About Hema Committee Report
The Kerala government established the committee in response to the 2017 actress assault case and its findings, which exposed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry. In response to accusations of sexual harassment and exploitation levelled against a number of actors and directors, the state administration declared on August 25 that a seven-person special inquiry team would be formed to look into the claims.
(With PTI inputs)