KOCHI: The survivor of the 2017 actress sexual assault case posted an emotional message on social media on Friday, speaking out against the cyber attacks targeting her.
The message comes over a week after a court here acquitted Malayalam actor Dileep, an accused in the case, citing lack of evidence.
In an Instagram post, she wrote: “Not a victim, not a survivor, just a simple human being. Let me live.”
Beginning the post by saying “Mistake done by me,” the actress explained what she meant by the statement.
She said her so-called mistake was that after she was assaulted, she immediately lodged a complaint with the police and pursued legal remedies.
“Taking it as fate, I should have remained silent, pretending nothing had happened. Later, if the video had surfaced, I should have committed suicide when people questioned why I did not file a complaint with the police,” the post read.
She also referred to an online video released by the second accused, Martin Antony, in which he allegedly made accusations against her.
“The video of the second accused, who was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, came to my notice. In that video, he should have said that it was he who took my videos,” she wrote.
The actress said that those who make such allegations, circulate them online, and their relatives should never have to face a similar situation in life.
Police have already registered a case against Antony, who made the video before he was sentenced to imprisonment.
Earlier, after the court acquitted Dileep, the actress had shared a similar emotional post that received widespread public support.
Meanwhile, actress and dubbing artist Bhagyalakshmi, who strongly supports the complainant, alleged that she received a threat call warning of an acid attack if she continued to speak against actor Dileep.
Bhagyalakshmi told reporters that she received the call at around 12.07 pm.
“The caller used abusive language and asked whether I would speak against Dileep. I said I would. Then he asked what would happen if acid was thrown on my face. I told him to do it,” she said.
Without naming the actor initially, Bhagyalakshmi said that no one from the film industry was now raising their voice against him.
“In the film industry, I am the only one speaking against him. Only common people are standing with the actress because they cannot be threatened. That is why they are trying to intimidate me,” she said.
Bhagyalakshmi said she was not afraid of such threats and expressed doubt that a police complaint would yield any results.
She said that after she disconnected the call, she received multiple calls from abroad, which she did not answer.
“I expect an attack on me at any time. Even if it sounds like a joke, if anything happens to me, he will be responsible,” she said.
Asked whether she was referring to Dileep, Bhagyalakshmi said, “Yes, it is Dileep.”
“Because he is an expert in giving ‘quotations’ and knows how to come out of such cases,” she alleged.
She said that, otherwise, the actor should come out openly and ask those running his public relations campaigns to stop.
“Until such an action comes from his side, we will consider that he is behind these activities,” she said.