Woman submits sexual assault complaint with Kerala CM against Rahul Mamkootathil
Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 27 (PTI): A woman on Thursday submitted a sexual assault complaint with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against suspended Congress MLA Rahul Mankootathil, shortly after a fresh purported audio recording of a conversation between the two surfaced online.
A source said the woman met Vijayan at his office here and submitted the complaint. The complaint has been forwarded to the State Police Chief for further action.
The move came months after Mankootathil faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.
Reacting to the development, the Palakkad MLA said he would fight the case legally.
"As long as I am convinced that I have done no wrong, I will continue to fight legally. I will prove everything in the court of law as well as in the court of the people. Truth will prevai..," he wrote on his Facebook page.
State Health Minister Veena George expressed solidarity with the victim, saying Kerala is with her.
"Dear sister, Do not lose strength...Kerala is with you..," she said in a social media post.
Earlier, the Crime Branch had opened a case based on the initial audio clips and the chat messages. That case was triggered by an email sent to the police headquarters by a few individuals, all of them third parties, as the woman herself had not come forward at the time.
Two days ago, a new purported audio clip was released in which he was heard insisting that he wanted a child, before later urging her to undergo an abortion.
He was suspended from the primary membership of the Congress on August 25 following the allegations.
The Palakkad MLA had earlier resigned as Youth Congress state president after Malayalam actress Rini Ann George accused "a young leader" of a well-known political party of misbehaviour, triggering protests by the BJP and the DYFI, the youth wing of the CPI(M).
Subsequently, several women and a transgender person levelled similar allegations against him.
Mankootathil was elected as MLA in November last year in a by-election for the Palakkad seat, following the election of party leader and then sitting MLA Shafi Parambil as Lok Sabha MP from Vatakara in the general election.
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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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