Nivin Pauly’s co-stars Bhagath Manuel and Vineeth Sreenivasan claim the actor was with them at the time of alleged sexual assault

Nivin Pauly

Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly is one of six individuals accused of sexual assault in an FIR registered at the Oonnukal police station in Kerala on Tuesday. A 40-year-old woman alleged that the assault occurred in Dubai over a year ago. However, actors Vineeth Sreenivasan and Bhagath Manuel have come forward to defend Nivin, claiming that he was in Kerala during the time of the alleged incident with them.

Vineeth Sreenivasan, speaking to Reporter Live, stated that Nivin was with him in Kochi on the sets of their upcoming film on December 14 and 15 last year, the same days the woman alleged the assault took place in Dubai.

Vineeth mentioned that they were together until 3 AM on December 15 at Kochi's ABAD Nucleus Mall. He also revealed that Nivin was on the set of his upcoming series Pharma during that period.

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A post shared by Bhagath Manuel (@bhagath_manuel)

Pinkvilla translated what Vineeth said, “Nivin was with us filming in Kochi on December 14 and 15, 2023, the days the woman claims to have been abused. If you do some fact-checking, you will find that we booked a hotel under Nivin’s name in Kochi and filmed scenes with Nivin on stage surrounded by people. All of this can be easily verified. This shows that her allegations aren't true.”

Bhagath Manuel took to Instagram to support these claims, sharing pictures of him and Nivin together during the shoot. He highlighted the timestamp on the photos, writing, “December 14 8 am to December 15 3 am, Vineeth, Nivin and I were together. These pictures are proof.”

In response to the accusations, Nivin posted a statement on social media denying the charges, calling them "entirely untrue." He emphasized his willingness to take legal action to prove his innocence and discredit the allegations.

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A post shared by Nivin Pauly (@nivinpaulyactor)

He later addressed the media, appearing calm but surprised by the accusations. Nivin mentioned that the police had previously contacted him regarding the same woman’s complaint, but the case was closed as he did not know her.

This accusation surfaces just weeks after the Justice K Hema Committee report highlighted the prevalence of sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry.