A high-stakes meeting unfolded on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, at the State Crime Branch (CB) headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, as top officials pondered the prosecutorial avenues available following the Kerala High Court’s rejection of actor Siddique’s anticipatory bail plea. The bail plea was connected to an alleged rape incident of an aspiring actor at a Thiruvananthapuram hotel in 2016.
To date, the police have not restricted Siddique’s movements or issued a wanted-person notice. Despite incessant speculation from conventional and social media, official sources have so far remained tight-lipped about mounting a Statewide operation to apprehend the actor. A senior official dismissed any notions of a “speedy arrest,” although he acknowledged that issuing a notice for Siddique to appear before the investigating officer remains a possibility. The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DYSP) at the District Crime Branch in Thiruvananthapuram leads the investigation.
The agency is cautiously considering whether immediately arresting Siddique might undermine any subsequent attempts by the actor to obtain anticipatory bail from the Supreme Court. Such a move carries the risk of the police being accused of rushing the suspect’s apprehension.
Meanwhile, police officers and media personnel have established a noticeable presence in front of Siddique’s two residences in Ernakulam district. Television channels converged on a hotel in Nedumbassery after receiving unconfirmed reports that the actor had checked in there, though those reports remain unverified.
A team from the Museum police station in Thiruvananthapuram is reportedly en route to Kochi, though their specific mission has not yet been disclosed. High-level deliberations chaired by Additional Director General of Police, Crime Branch, H. Venkatesh, centered on the possibility of issuing Siddique a notice to present himself before the investigating officer.
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The Crime Branch appears to be grappling with a legal conundrum. The High Court’s assertion that Siddique’s custodial interrogation is vital for the investigation has restricted legal maneuverability. Additionally, the court noted that the actor might try to influence key witnesses, adding another layer of complexity to the situation.
The Kerala government feels the weight of public and judicial pressure to take decisive action following the High Court’s insistence on Siddique’s custodial interrogation and medical examination, considering the serious nature of the allegations. This pressure is compounded by the High Court’s critique for the government’s prolonged inaction on the 2019 K. Hema Committee report, which detailed widespread sexual exploitation and abuse within the Malayalam movie industry. The court censured the government for its five-year silence on the report, which would have remained unseen without judicial intervention.
A senior police official framed the High Court’s denial of anticipatory bail to Siddique as validation of the agency’s meticulous and unbiased investigation. Over the nearly eight-year span since the alleged crime, the agency has meticulously reconstructed dates, locations, and corroborated testimonies—including hotel records and witness statements—to piece together a compelling timeline and circumstantial evidence to support prosecution.
Law enforcement has also recorded statements from at least two psychiatrists who treated the survivor, both of whom corroborated the victim’s reported trauma in the subsequent months and years following the alleged incident. These testimonies add to the Crime Branch’s repository of evidence, which they believe is sufficient to confront Siddique within the bounds of the law.
As developments unfold, authorities are under scrutiny, balancing the need for thorough and fair investigation against the court’s mandate for Siddique’s custodial interrogation. The case exemplifies the intricate interplay of judicial directives, investigative rigor, and media attention, forming the backdrop against which the Kerala Crime Branch strategizes its next steps in this high-profile investigation.
Published – September 24, 2024 04:43 pm IST
Kerala | Malayalam Cinema
