Vijay Babu, the Malayalam actor-producer recently charged in a rape case, has been accused of sexual misconduct by a second woman.
A few days back, Babu was charged in a sexual assault case based on a complaint filed by a female actor. A native of Kozhikode, the survivor has alleged that Babu physically abused and sexually exploited her between March 13 and April 14, this year.
Now, on Friday, another woman shared an anonymous account on Facebook of the time Babu had misbehaved with her. She stated that she had a work-related meeting with the producer in November 2021. When a friend who was also present in the room at the time had stepped out for something, Babu took advantage of the opportunity and leaned in to kiss her on the lips, she added.
“He was drinking alcohol and offered me some as well. I refused and continued working. Suddenly, he just leaned in to kiss me on my lips, without any question, without any consent. Luckily, my reflex action was super quick and I just pulled back and maintained a distance from him. I looked into his face, and he then asked me, ‘Just one kiss?’ I stood up and said no. He started apologising and requested me to not tell anyone,” she said, adding that she had agreed not to as she was scared and had immediately left the place.
The woman noted that even though he did not force her to do anything, his behaviour was still “cheap and scary” as she had hardly known him for 20-30 minutes when he made his move.
She also claimed that she discontinued her work because of this incident. “I just stopped taking efforts to enter the Malayalam film industry after this, which was a dream for me until then.” She added that removing or punishing people like him would help break the image that the film industry is “not safe for women.”
The woman further said that she had decided to speak out about the incident after learning that someone was raped by Babu. She added that she would stand by the survivor, who deserves justice.
Meanwhile, Kochi City Police Commissioner Nagaraju Chakilam told the media on Friday that Babu had fled to Dubai from Bengaluru on April 24. The commissioner further said that Babu has not come back yet, but they are expecting him to surrender before the law.
“He is an established person, so he has to come back. We have taken his passport details and travel details. The investigation is in progress. We are identifying more witnesses in the case. We have requested the court to impound his passport if he does not come forward. He has to cooperate with the investigation,” Chakilam added.
The police officer stated that a written notice has already been issued and they have also collected CCTV footage. Other evidence is being gathered as well. “There are certain instances where people are saying this and that happened [other accusations against Babu]. So far, no other complaints have been registered, but we hope we will get those complaints as well.”
Earlier, after news broke about the sexual assault allegation, Babu went live on Facebook and spoke about the matter. In contravention of the law, he revealed the survivor’s identity by openly naming her. He also claimed innocence and threatened to file a case of defamation against her.
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On Friday, Babu moved the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail in the rape case filed against him. In his petition, he alleged that the complainant meant to blackmail him with the rape allegation. He further claimed that the actor used to call him at odd hours and sent abusive messages to him.
He added that he fears arrest by the police in this case and sought anticipatory bail, noting that he was prepared to abide by any conditions imposed by the court and would cooperate with the investigation.
The matter is posted to be heard after the court’s ongoing summer vacation ends.