Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala police on Saturday questioned Congress MLA, M. Vincent, who is accused of stalking and raping a 51-year-old woman.
Vincent represents the Kovalam assembly constituency in south Kerala, and the questioning took place after police got formal permission from the assembly speaker to quiz the MLA.
The move to question the MLA came after police indicated that they had more clues regarding the alleged sexual assault of the woman by the MLA.
Some of the ‘proof’ that police claim to have are the series of telephone calls the MLA made to the woman. Reports say that he had called her about 900 times over the past five months.
The woman said the MLA had sexually abused her both at her home and also at her shop, and had even asked her once “who else has the courage to come and do this?”
She said she told him she could not cheat her husband. The issue came to light after the woman consumed pills in an apparent bid to take her life. She had also confided her troubles to her brother, and a priest and a nun in the neighbourhood.
Vincent denied all allegations against him, stating that it was the Communist Party of India Marxist workers who had hatched a conspiracy against him.
The case was first registered on a complaint by the woman’s husband. The initial charge against Vincent was one of abetting suicide. Police then took a statement from the woman. In between, a telephone call purportedly involving the MLA trying to influence a relative of the woman, was leaked.
The ruling Left Democratic Front has called for the resignation of the MLA. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee’s political committee member Shanimol Usman said the party should take action against the MLA if the charges against him are proved.
