Kerala: Director Ranjith arrested in sexual assault case
Kochi Film director Ranjith was arrested on Tuesday in connection with an alleged sexual assault complaint filed by a young actress, marking a significant development in a case that has been handled with unusual secrecy by the police.
The Ernakulam Central Police registered the case, while a special squad led by Kochi’s Deputy Commissioner of Police carried out the arrest, reportedly acting on directives from senior officers, including the Ernakulam Range Inspector General and the Idukki Superintendent of Police.
Ranjith was taken into custody after his vehicle was intercepted in Thodupuzha, based on mobile phone location tracking.
He is currently in the custody of the Thodupuzha police and is expected to be handed over to the Kochi police for further proceedings.
The complainant, a young actress currently working in a film directed by Ranjith, alleged that he attempted to sexually assault her during the ongoing shoot.
According to preliminary information, the incident is believed to have occurred on the film set, where he allegedly behaved in a sexually inappropriate manner.
The film, directed by Ranjith, was being shot in Kottayam and Kochi, with the alleged incident reported to have occurred in Kochi.
The actress had submitted complaints to the Director General of Police and others. Her confidential statement was recorded at a Women’s Police Station two days ago, following which the police moved swiftly.
The First Information Report, registered under Section 376 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Udayamperoor police station, was filed discreetly.
Ranjith, a multifaceted personality, is a director, actor, and popular writer. Notably, he had earlier faced allegations from a Bengali actress and another complaint of unnatural sexual assault.
However, those cases were reportedly settled.
When the earlier case surfaced, he was the chairman of the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy and resigned at the time. Ranjith is known to be a fellow traveller of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and in 2021, the party had considered fielding him from a seat in Kozhikode, his hometown, but later dropped the idea.