'I'm not alone in fight for justice': Actor Dileep case sexual assault survivor speaks out

Actor sexual assault case: Dileep approached Kerala High Court for anticipatory bail in a new case. (Image credit: Photo tweeted by @ANI)

The actor who was kidnapped and allegedly sexually assaulted in Kerala in 2017 has spoken out publicly for the first time, nearly five years since the incident in which Malayalam actor Dileep is also an accused. She thanked all those who stood by her.

“This has not been an easy journey. The journey from being a victim to becoming a survivor. For 5 years now, my name and my identity have been suppressed under the weight of the assault inflicted on me," the survivor wrote is a social media post.

She said there have been many attempts to”humiliate, silence and isolate” her, thanking all those who spoke up for her.

The actor said she will continue her fight “to see justice prevail, to get wrongdoers punished and to ensure no one else goes through such an ordeal again”.

She was kidnapped and allegedly sexually assaulted inside her car for two hours by some of the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017 and later escaped in a busy area. The entire act was filmed by some of the accused to blackmail her. There are 10 accused in the case and initially, police arrested seven people. Dileep was arrested subsequently and let out on bail later.

The survivor’s statement comes a day after Kerala Police registered a new case against Dileep and five others for allegedly threatening investigation officers in the sexual assault case. The case was registered based on a complaint by an investigating officer, based on a purported audio clip of Dileep, which was released by a TV channel recently in which the actor was heard conspiring to attack the officials.

Dileep has approached the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail in the new case.

Recently, the survivor had written to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressing her distress at the twists and turns in the case, after the government lawyer resigned from the case.

Also, there has been huge outrage online over a popular Malayalam women’s magazine featuring Dileep and his family on its latest cover page, with a detailed interview of the actor.