Suspended Cong MLA Mamkoottathil booked for alleged sexual assault
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala police on Friday said they have registered a case against Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkoottathil after a woman accused him of sexual assault and forcing her to terminate pregnancy.
The case was registered at the Valiyamala Police Station on Friday based on the woman's statement recorded late Thursday.
The complainant had approached Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan with her grievance on Thursday against the suspended Congress legislator.
Her detailed statement was later recorded by woman police officers at the Thiruvananthapuram Rural Police headquarters, sources said.
The procedures continued till late at night, after which a decision was taken to register the case.
According to police sources, the case has been filed under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for sexual assault on the false promise of marriage, forced abortion, and criminal intimidation.
Police will approach the Thiruvananthapuram Chief Judicial Magistrate Court to record the confidential statement of the complainant.
A team of doctors will soon assess the medical condition of the woman, sources added.
Meanwhile, Mamkootathil has reportedly gone into hiding after the woman approached the chief minister. Police have begun efforts to trace him.
Congress leaders in Palakkad said Mamkoottathil was actively campaigning in the Kanadi area for local body elections till around 4 pm on Thursday, after which he and a close associate were not seen.
Earlier, the Crime Branch had registered a case based on audio clips and chat messages that surfaced after third-party individuals sent an email to the police headquarters, as the woman had not come forward at the time.
Two days ago, another audio clip was released, in which the MLA purportedly expressed his desire for a child but later urged the woman to undergo an abortion.
Mamkoottathil was suspended from the primary membership of the Congress on August 25.
He had earlier resigned as Youth Congress state president after Malayalam actress Rini Ann George accused a young leader of misbehaviour, prompting protests by the BJP and the DYFI, the youth wing of the CPI(M).
Subsequently, several women and a transgender person also levelled allegations against him.
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Talks ended without deal due to 'excessive demands' made by US: Iran
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Islamabad (PTI): The Iran-US talks in Pakistan have ended without a deal due to "excessive demands" made by the American side, a top Iranian official said on Sunday.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei, however, said Iran is determined to utilise all tools, including diplomacy, to secure national interests and protect the country's well-being.
US Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation, said the talks failed to reach a peace deal, citing Tehran not forgoing its nuclear programme as one of the key sticking points. He said the American side presented its "final and best offer" to the Iranian side, but it did not accept it.
Baqaei, however, said that the two sides reached a consensus on some issues, but they held different views regarding 2-3 important matters.
He said that during the intensive negotiations that began Saturday morning, with Pakistan's mediation, numerous messages and texts were exchanged between the two sides.
"In the past 24 hours, discussions were held on various dimensions of the main negotiation topics, including the Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear issue, war reparations, lifting of sanctions, and the complete end to the war against Iran and in the region," Baqaei said.
"The success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and good faith of the opposing side, refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and the acceptance of Iran's legitimate rights and interests," he added.
He said it was natural that Iran should not have expected from the beginning to reach an agreement within one meeting. "No one expected that either."
"We have not forgotten and will not forget the experiences of America's breaches of promise and malicious acts," he said.
He thanked Pakistan for hosting the negotiations and for its efforts in advancing this process.
In a brief statement to the media, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan helped mediate several rounds of “intense and constructive” discussions over the past 24 hours.
Expressing hope for progress, Dar said both sides should maintain a positive spirit to achieve durable peace and regional stability.
Dar said Pakistan would continue to play its role in facilitating engagement and dialogue between Iran and the United States in the coming days.
The Iranian delegation, led by Speaker Mohammad Baqir Galibaf, had arrived in Islamabad on Friday night, while the US delegation, headed by Vice President JD Vance, arrived on Saturday morning.
It was the first direct, high-level engagement between Iran and the US since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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