Kerala assault case: Accused Dileep writes to DGP to remove investigation officer

Shortly after the actor in the Kerala assault case wrote to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking justice in her case, one of the key accused Malayalam actor Dileep lodged a complaint with the state police chief against an investigation officer Baiju Paulose.

According to Dileep, the new revelations recently made by director Balachandra Kumar implicating the actor and giving a new twist to the 2017 sexual assault case, were an outcome of a conspiracy between Kumar and the officer Baiju Paulose. In his complaint to the DGP, Dileep accused Paulose of conspiring against him and getting Kumar to allegedly make a statement to sabotage the trial.

Further, he alleged that the special prosecutor resigned to halt the trial procedures. Dileep, who is the eighth accused in the case, urged the state police chief to check the phone call details of Balachandra Kumar and Paulose. He also wanted the request for a further probe by the prosecution to be withdrawn, said media reports.

Also read: Kerala actor assault case: Survivor writes to CM asking for “justice”

So far, 202 witnesses have been cross-examined and new stories were reportedly being fabricated to cover the prosecution’s mistakes, alleged Dileep. Only the investigation officer and a few witnesses are yet to be interrogated in the case. Moreover, Dileep said that the director Balachandra Kumar had a vendetta against him for not giving him dates for his film and was making allegations against him.

The director Kumar, who claimed to be Dileep’s friend had alleged in media interviews that the main accused in the assault case, Pulsar Suni was seen in the actor’s residence. And, also that Dileep allegedly had a video copy of the sexual assault of the female actor and had watched it along with his brother and friends at his house.

On January 3 (Monday), the female actor, a leading name in south Indian film industry, who was assaulted in a moving car and the act was filmed to blackmail her, had written to the CM and the DGP expressing her anguish over the way the case was being dragged. She wanted justice, she said.