Kerala's Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil
Credit: Facebook/@Rahul Mamkootathil
Thiruvananthapuram: Putting the Congress in Kerala in a tight spot ahead of the crucial local body polls, a fresh rape allegation surfaced against Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil.
A 23-year-old woman living in Bengaluru alleged that Mamkootathil brutally raped her after promising to marry, but later backed out.
The woman sent e-mail petitions to Congress national and state leadership. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunny Joseph told the media that the woman's complaint was forwarded to the police for necessary action.
Already the police registered a sexual assault case against Mamkootathil last week. Since then he has been absconding. His anticipatory bail application is coming up for hearing in a court in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. He has also sought in-camera proceedings.
Congress leaders are trying to defend by citing that Mamkootathil was already suspended from the party and he resigned the Youth Congress state president post when allegations came up against him in August.
The CPM and BJP were demanding his resignation from the MLA post.
The fresh complaint against Mamkootathil came out in the open on Tuesday. The woman alleges that she came in contact with Mamkootathil through social media and as their relationship grew he proposed to marry her.
Later Mamkootathil took her to a homestay away from Bengaluru city with the help of one of his friends and she was brutally raped, causing injuries to her. He later backed out from the marriage commitment.
The Kerala local body polls to be held on December 9 and 11 assumed much political significance as it could set the trend for the assembly polls to follow. Hence the back to back sexual assault allegations against a young MLA of the party, though now under suspension, could affect the poll prospects of the party. Already there were differences of opinion among the party top leaders on the stand towards Mamkootathil.