Cops Begin Search to Arrest Actor Siddique In Rape Case As HC Denies Him Anticipatory Bail

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Police are all set to arrest actor Siddique as the Kerala High Court denied to grant him anticipatory bail in the Malayalam cinema #MeToo case.

The Herala High Court court rejected Siddique’s bail plea in a rape case lodged against him by a former actress.

Following the court decision, Kerala police have issued a lookout circular and have intensified efforts to track down Siddique.

The actress alleged that Siddique raped her at a state-owned hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016. According to sources, the victim, who had not reported the incident, came forward after the explosive Hema Committee report was made public in August. The actress, in her complaint, claimed that Siddique coerced her into providing sexual favours in exchange for a role in a Tamil movie. When she refused, he allegedly raped her.

The Hema Committee report mentioned the systemic abuse and harassment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. This report encouraged several former actresses to reveal their stories of exploitation.

Siddique resigned from the post of general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) when the allegation surfaced against him. The entire committee, chaired by actor Mohanlal also stepped down.

Siddique has denied the allegations, accusing the complainant of harassing him since 2019 by repeatedly making baseless claims on social media.

Apart from Siddique’s case, other well-known figures of Malayalam film industry implicated in similar cases include actor-turned-legislator Mukesh Madhavan, actors Nivin Pauly, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, and Maniyanpilla Raju, as well as directors Ranjith and Prakash.