Southwest Monsoon likely to arrive in Kerala on June 4; IMD warns of week-long heavy rainfall
Several Kerala districts are already under weather alerts as the IMD forecasts thunderstorms, gusty winds and widespread rainfall during the coming week.
Trouble has mounted for suspended Congress Kerala MLA Rahul Mamkootathil with a woman filing a sexual harassment complaint against him with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday. This is the first formal complaint against Mamkootathil , who is facing several allegations of sexual misconduct.
The woman filed the complaint after meeting Chief Minister Piarayi Vijayan in person. Digital evidence related to the case has also been submitted along with the complaint. Sources said the complaint would be handed over to the Crime Branch wing of the police. The survivor’s statement will be recorded on Thursday itself, it is learnt.
Advertisement
The development came two days after fresh audio recordings and WhatsApp chats have surfaced that allegedly feature Rahul Mamkootathil forcing a woman to get pregnant and then demanding an abortion.
Advertisement
The recordings, released by a Malayalam TV channel, feature purported conversations between Rahul Mamkootathil and the girl. The girl in the audio clip claims that he was the one who initially insisted they have a child, but then pressured her for abortion when she became pregnant.
In the audio, the girl is heard accusing Mankootathil of encouraging her to conceive. He can be heard telling her that they should have a baby. However, the conversation further reveals that the MLA is allegedly pressuring the girl to undergo an abortion. Questioning his sudden change of stance, the girl says everything had been planned by him.
Accompanying the audio, screenshots of WhatsApp chats were also released by the TV channel, allegedly showing Mamkootathil explicitly stating, “I wanna make you pregnant” and “we should have a baby”.
Rahul resigned from his post as Youth Congress president in August after several women accused him of sexual harassment and misconduct.
The Crime Branch of the Kerala Police has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the sexual harassment charges against Mamkootathil. The SIT was formed based on a complaint filed by a third-party lawyer after the initial audio clips surfaced in August 2025. The investigation has been slow because the woman involved has not come forward to file an official complaint or provide a statement to the police. Now, with the filing of a formal sexual harassment complaint by the woman, the police is expected to act swiftly.
Allegations of sexual harassment against Mamkootathil first surfaced in August 2025, after actor and former journalist Rini Ann George posted on social media that a young political leader from Kerala had sent her offensive messages and invited her to a hotel room. However, she did not name him. But the remark triggered protests in Palakkad, with the BJP and CPM alleging that she was referring to the Palakkad MLA.
Soon after, writer Honey Bhaskaran also came forward, alleging that Rahul had once sent her obscene messages, which she ignored. She further claimed that she later learned he had told Congress colleagues that she was interested in him.
Following the sexual harassment allegations in August, Mamkootathil was suspended from the Congress party for six months and he stepped down as the state Youth Congress chief. He remains the sitting MLA for the Palakkad constituency
Meanwhile, Youth Congress state general secretary Sajna B. Sajan on Thursday morning filed a complaint against Rahul Mangkootatil to the AICC and Priyanka Gandhi. Sajna’s complaint demands that an inquiry commission including women leaders be appointed to meet the victimized girls and discuss the issue seriously. Sajna, in her complaint also says the suspicion that the Congress is a movement that shows double standards in respect of women’s issues should be removed from the people.
Advertisement
