Kochi:

A case has been registered against Malayalam star Nivin Pauly at Oonukal in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on a complaint by a woman, who alleged that she was sexually assaulted by him and others outside India.

The woman, in her complaint, said she was cheated on promises that she would be given a chance to act.

In her complaint, she says that she was sexually assaulted by a group of six people and Pauly was also present. Pauly has been arraigned as the sixth accused.

The complaint first came to Ernakulam’s Superintendent of Police, Rural, and was later transferred to the local police station in the home town of the woman. She said that following the Hema Committee report surfaced, she heard about the numerous complaints that surfaced and hence decided to file the complaint.

The Oonukal police has registered the case and it will be passed to the special investigation team formed by the Kerala government to probe all the cases of the sexual exploitation suffered by women when working in the Malayalam film industry.

The actor has denied has the allegations and said “he will take all necessary steps to bring those responsible to light”.

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— Nivin Pauly (@NivinOfficial) September 3, 2024

Nivin Pauly, 40, has won two Kerala State Film Awards. A software engineer by profession, he turned to films and in a career which began in 2010, he has done over 50 films, and several of them have gone on to become box office hits.

Nivin turned producer with “Action Hero Biju” in 2016 under his banner Pauly Jr. Pictures and it turned out to be a super grosser.

Trouble has been brewing in the Malayalam film industry ever since the release of the Hema Committee report, which probed the conditions of the women working in the Malayalam film industries, last month after a long delay.

Kerala Police have so far registered FIRs against 11 people, including nine from the film industry based on the complaints from actresses. Those who are in the dock after the police registered FIRs, include actor-turned-two-time sitting CPI-M legislator Mukesh Madhavan, Siddique, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, Maniyanpilla Raju, directors Ranjith and V.K. Prakash, and production executives Vichu and Noble. Actor Baburaj and director Tulasidas have been named too, but no FIRs have been registered against them so far.