Sexual abuse of youth: Police register case against film director Ranjith

The Kasaba police in Kerala have registered a case against film director Ranjith following a complaint by a youth from Kozhikode alleging that he was sexually abused. The youth, who had already given a statement before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating cases of sexual abuse of film personalities in Kerala, had alleged that he was subjected to sexual abuse during a meeting with Mr Ranjith to discuss his entry into cinema in Bengaluru in 2012.

Besides charging Mr Ranjith under Section 377 (punishment for unnatural sex) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the police invoked several other sections under the Information Technology (IT) Act for allegedly sharing nude photographs of the complainant with another actor. Section IPC was invoked as the incident took place almost 12 years ago.

The 33-year-old survivor had earlier given a statement to the SIT, in which he accused Mr Ranjith of taking the nude photos of the former perpetrator.

The young man also claimed that he came in contact with Mr Ranjith during the shooting of the Malayalam film Bavuttiyude Namathil in December 2012.

“When I approached him for a role in his (then) upcoming film, he gave me his mobile number and asked me to call to discuss the matter. The attack took place when I visited him in Bengaluru a few days later on his instructions,” the young man alleged at a press conference in Kozhikode recently.

The Kerala Police had earlier registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Mr. Ranjith based on a petition filed by a Bengali female actor accusing him of molestation. Mr. Ranjith resigned as the chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy following the legal development and related controversies.