Rahul Easwar defies police, vows to continue backing MLA Mamkoottathil

Thiruvananthapuram: A day after being arrested by the Cyber Police here for allegedly revealing the identity of a rape survivor, orator and right-wing activist Rahul Easwar declared that he would not stop supporting Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkoottathil. When police took him to his residence for evidence collection, Easwar told the media that officers had asked him to stop posting videos in support of the MLA.

“They directed me to stop making videos in support of Mamkoottathil. But I won’t follow it. I will continue to support him,” Easwar asserted.

It is learnt that the police seized his laptop and other electronic devices during the evidence collection.

“This is a violation of a Supreme Court order. The Arnesh Kumar bench clearly directed that bail must be granted if the offence carries a maximum punishment of less than seven years,” he told the media as police escorted him from his house after evidence collection.

When officers reached his house on Sunday to take him into custody, Easwar claimed that his laptop was at his office in Infopark. However, a video on his YouTube channel later revealed that he had hidden it at his house before leaving for the police AR Camp.

Police booked him after receiving a complaint from the woman who accused the MLA of raping and impregnating her. The survivor alleged that Easwar and five others launched a social media attack against her and disclosed her identity.

Along with Easwar, Congress leader Sandeep G. Varrier, advocate Deepa Joseph, Mahila Congress leader Renjitha Pulickan, and another person who handled Deepa’s social media page have also been booked.

They face charges of revealing the woman’s identity, outraging the modesty of a woman, intimidation, and misuse of electronic devices. If convicted, they could face up to two years’ imprisonment.

Rahul Easwar is also facing a non-bailable charge under Section 75(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which specifies punishment for sexual harassment by making sexually coloured remarks.