Trigger warning: mentions of sexual assault
This February will mark five years since the crime, where a Malayali actress was kidnapped and sexually abused in a moving car by seven men, took place in Kerala.
Months later, the police investigation led to actor Dileep, who was revealed as the alleged mastermind of the crime.
The police report said that Dileep had ordered the main accused, Pulsar Suni, to assault the actress as an act of revenge, as he believed that she had revealed details of his affair with Kavya Madhavan to his then-wife, Manju Warrier.
Ever since it was revealed that Dileep was the alleged mastermind, there has been a shift in perspective—the Malayalam industry is seemingly protecting his alleged innocence, more than the survivor’s right to justice.
Top Cop Transferred, Witnesses Turned Hostile
The recent acquittal of Bishop Franco also instills doubts in the common person’s mind, regarding if powerful people will ever be held accountable for committing sexual assualt.
The nuns who protested against Franco had everything to lose and yet, they spoke up. They faced discrimination, shaming, boycotting, and hate speech.
Coming back to the actress who was assaulted, the Kerala government is seeking to delay the case by another six months. Three years ago, ADGP (Additional Director General of Police) B Sandhya, who was part of the team investigating the case, was transferred in a reshuffle of the top brass.
Two special public prosecutors (SPPs) have resigned from the case during judicial proceedings and developments. Four witnesses and actors: Siddique, Edavela Babu, Bhamaa, and Bindu Panicker, turned hostile in court.
Amidst all this, the survivor spoke about how she was attacked and harassed by lawyers representing Dileep, and the woman judge she requested for did not intervene.
Dileep’s Friend Says His Life Is In Danger
Now, the case took an interesting turn when Dileep’s former friend and filmmaker Balachandran came out to throw multiple serious allegations against the actor. He even cited that his own life is in danger and that he didn’t speak up because of this fear.
He mentioned how Dileep intended to target the investigating officers, prompting the authorities to file another FIR (first information report) against Dileep, with non-bailable charges.
Dileep filed for anticipatory bail and once out, he targeted the survivor and her version of events. The delay in justice in this case does bother me on a personal note.
The actress-cum-survivor had almost locked herself indoors, for a while. But, she showed the courage to take the fight against her attackers to the court, by filing a case against them.
After getting the support of and encouragement from her colleagues, she went back to work. The entire industry had come together and voiced their support for her, back then.
Actor Parvathy Resigned From The AMMA
The level of support for her died down once Dileep came back into the limelight. After he received bail, Dileep was reinstated to the AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists), which forced the survivor and three others to resign.
As per the Vishaka guidelines, the AMMA was expected to keep Dileep away until he was proven innocent in court, and given a clean chit (if at all).
The AMMA’s then general secretary, Edavela Babu, took a dig at her decision to distance herself from the body, by saying that the survivor won’t be part of a film they were planning to make because they “can’t bring back those who died”.
Actress Parvathy resigned from the AMMA, but as expected, Babu neither apologised for his words nor was any action taken against him.
The survivor had earlier complained to the AMMA’s executive committee, against Dileep, where she alleged that he is blocking her acting opportunities. No action was taken and AMMA members continued denying getting such a complaint from her.
The Survivor On Life After The Assault
Politician PC George had earlier attacked the survivor by saying how “easy” life is for her, and that she was immediately able to go back to work—forcing her to write an open letter, where she asked: “Should I have killed myself?”
Even at the time of the attack, social media showed that people indulged in their fair share of moral policing, questioning why she chose to travel alone, in the night. Reports of her alleged, past relationships, and her medical history, were discussed.
Recently, the actress spoke up from her personal Instagram handle. She mentioned the the repeated attacks on her:
“The journey from being a victim to becoming a survivor. For 5 years now, my name and my identity have been suppressed under the weight of the assault inflicted on me. Though I am not the one who has committed the crime, there have been many attempts to humiliate, silence, and isolate me.”
There were memes featuring her, along with Kavya Madhvan and Manju Warrier, with the caption: “How three women ruined a man’s life.”
If there is one person who doesn’t deserve to get any form of scrutiny, then it is her. She survived the horror and is still waiting for justice. Will she get it?
Vanitha Cover To Whitewash Dileep’s Image
I have to take the time and energy to express my anger and disappointment at Vanitha magazine, for featuring Dileep and his family, on its cover. Vanitha calls itself a “friend and mentor of women” (വനിതകളുടെ സുഹൃത്തും വഴികാട്ടിയും).
It is indeed ironic that they featured a man who is accused in such a sensational case. The magazine cover is his attempt to whitewash his image as a man who “works hard”, “protects his family”, and “loves his children”.
He has been projecting himself as a victim, who has been falsely accused. Now, we are all aware of the “maybes” that come with this case.
Maybe, Dileep is innocent. Maybe, the main accused, Pulsar Suni, acted on his own and tried to blackmail actor Dileep. Maybe, the filmmaker Balachandran is lying.
Hypothetically, let’s assume that Dileep is indeed innocent. Here is where the problem is: Dileep did terrible things as a husband and a father, too. Vanitha has been at the receiving end of angry questions regarding its ethics.
Dileep Uses His Daughters To Manipulate Others
The magazine cover features Dileep’s whole family, including his minor daughter. It was released while he is still the prime accused in the case, and a new sets of allegations have come forward, demanding the need for a reinvestigation.
His elder daughter, Meenakshi, has been facing a lot of social media trolling. She also faced a lot of media scrutiny when she went to visit her father in jail, back in 2017.
Now, he has presented his minor daughter before the world, in this controversial magazine cover, as opposed to protecting her.
Dileep has often used his daughter whenever he speaks about his life and difficulties. When he faced the first round of accusations, he mentioned his daughter’s welfare several times.
As a matter of fact, after his divorce from Warrier, he had appeared on the Vanitha magazine cover with Meenakshi.
In that, he had indirectly attacked Warrier by saying that she left them behind, and also said that he convinced filmmaker Priyadarshan not to work with her.
Vanitha Displayed Double Standards
What’s further angering is that Vanitha had published an interview of the survivor herself, who appeared on the cover in 2017.
In that interview, she had narrated her trauma. She spoke about how petrified and helpless she felt when Pulsar Suni entered the car, and threatened her.
As a message to all women, she denounced the victim-blaming culture that dehumanises sexual violence victims.
By featuring Dileep on its cover, while the case is still on and new developments are still happening, Vanitha literally betrayed the survivor. If Dileep is found guilty, then the magazine becomes a party to the attempts to whitewash his image.
Pulsar Suni Is Out On Bail
The main accused, Pulsar Suni has been granted bail in one of the many cases against him. He and his gang committed the crime. Their actions should not be dialed down or forgotten in any manner, no matter the severity of Dileep’s involvement as the mastermind.
Pulsar Suni should face the appropriate consequences for his choices—for putting the actress through immense physical and mental agony.
His actions should throw light on mafia gangs and the ‘quotation culture’ that still exists, because this can happen to anyone. If someone like him takes quotations for committing crimes, then having them on the loose will put more women and children in danger.
The women’s voices mentioned in the justice Hema Commission’s report should be heard. The result of this case should reinstate people’s faith in the authorities.
Innocent people shouldn’t be punished, but those who misuse their power and privileges, should be held accountable, as was seen in the Harvey Weinstein case.