Congress MLA M Vincent, arrested on charges of raping and stalking a 51-year-old woman in Kerala, alleged on 25 July that he was framed by CPI-M leaders.
"The CPI-M Thiruvananthapuram District Secretary and the Neyyattinkara CPI-M legislator are behind this frame-up," Vincent told reporters after he was sent to a day's police custody by a court in Thiruvananthapuram. His bail plea will be heard on 26 July.
"The conspiracy was hatched by these people and the former was in the hospital late in the night where the lady was hospitalised. The CCTV will reveal the truth. I have done no wrong at all," he said.
The Congress and its United Democratic Front have extended support to the legislator on Tuesday saying he was a victim of political vendetta and blamed the office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for acting in undue haste.
This is a politically motivated case and the UDF has decided that there is no reason for him to resign as a legislator.UDF Convener PP Thankachan to reporters
The Kerala Congress on Sunday had suspended Vincent from the party post after he was arrested.
He would stand divested of the party post till his innocence in the case is proved, party president MM Hassan said, adding, Vincent has told the party that he was confident that he would be able to prove his innocence in the court.
Terming the arrest as an unusual step, Hassan wanted police to probe the conspiracy angle to the whole episode.
Three days after Congress MLA M Vincent representing Kovalam constituency in Thiruvananthapuram was booked for abetment to suicide of a 51-year-old woman, police have arrested him.
Police had invoked Sections 376 and 354 (d) of the Indian Penal Code against the MLA on Friday. The decision to invoke rape charges was taken after recording the statement of the woman who has been admitted to a private hospital in Neyyatinkara, after consuming an overdose of blood pressure tablets.
The investigating officer Ajitha Beegum, Commissioner of Kollam, has also sought permission from the Assembly Speaker to question the MLA, a legislator of the Congress.
Ajitha Beegum confirmed to TNM that rape charge has been invoked against the MLA. She said:
On the day he was booked, abetment of suicide was invoked against him. Also, we have sought permission from the speaker to question him.
The woman, who is from Balaramapuram, attempted to end her life after the MLA allegedly sexually harassed her. The Balaramapuram police on Wednesday had charged Vincent for abetment of suicide based on the husband's statement as the woman's condition was critical. The police had told TNM:
In the statement given by her husband, it is said that the MLA used to call the woman over the phone. Her husband had even warned him once. He had also gone to the MLA’s house and told his wife about this. But still, the MLA continued to call her.
An audio clip, allegedly of a telephonic conversation between the MLA and the woman, has been leaked, but the authenticity of it is yet be verified.
The investigation was initially carried out by Neyyatinkara DySP, B Harikumar. But since an MLA is accused in the case, the government on Thursday appointed Ajitha Beegum to investigate the case.
(This story was first published in The News Minute and has been republished with permission. With inputs from PTI and IANS)
Also Read: Kerala Rape Accused Identified by Police as Victim’s Neighbour
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