Malayalam film director Ranjith.
Credit: DH Archives
Bengaluru: A First Information Report (FIR) was registered by the Bengaluru police on Saturday, October 26, against Malayalam film director Ranjith Balakrishnan, commonly known as Ranjith, following allegations of sexual assault by a 31-year-old man.
A senior police officer confirmed to DH that the FIR was registered at the BIAL police station in the northeastern division.
“The FIR was booked after the case was transferred by Kasaba police in Kerala to Bengaluru police since the alleged offence occurred here,” the officer said. “We are investigating the claims.”
The complainant, who identified as a Kozhikode-based artist, alleged that he met Ranjith in 2012 when he went to East Hill in Kerala to meet popular Malayalam actor Mammootty during the shooting of Bavuttiyude Namathil.
The survivor alleged that Ranjith sought his number and later invited him to a luxury hotel near the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru.
“He asked me to come to his room on the fourth floor,” the survivor alleged. “He offered me alcohol and later made me undress and sexually assaulted me.”
It was further alleged that the survivor was forced to consume alcohol and engage in oral sexual acts. The complaint was first filed before the Kasaba police in Kerala in the last week of August.
The case was registered under IPC Section 377 (unnatural offences) and 66E (punishment for violation of privacy) of the IT Act.
On September 9, the Kozhikode Principal Sessions Court granted an anticipatory bail to Ranjith in the case registered in Kasaba station. The bail was valid for 30 days, as per local media reports.
Earlier Ranjith was accused of rape by a Bengali actress. The allegations against Ranjith and several other prominent film personalities in Kerala came to the fore after the Justice Hema Committee report was made public on August 19.
Ranjith has won several awards and directed popular movies like Thirakkatha and Spirit which won him national acclaim.
As a director, he catapulted to another level with his action-drama Ravanaprabhu, his films like Nandanam, Pranchiyettan and The Saint and Indian Rupee, just to mention a few, set new trends in Malayalam cinema.