Malayalam actress abduction: Fans cheer actor Dileep release

Kochi: The Aluva sub-jail premises witnessed unusual scenes on Tuesday evening as actor Dileep came out on the strength of the bail Kerala High Court granted. A large number of fans cheered him, distributed sweets among themselves and showered rose petals. The build-up for the mass celebration and reception started from the afternoon itself when the television channels flashed the news and fans, reporters and camera persons trooped to the sub-jail expecting his release by 5.30 pm.

Dileep got released around 5.30 pm after his brother Anoop produced the order by the Judicial First Class Magistrate, Angamaly, on the strength of the High Court verdict. For a while, before the release, actor Dharmajan Bolgatty was the cynosure of all eyes as he arrived amid the cheers of the fans who had also erected a large cutout of Dileep on the premises and garlanded it.  A heavy posse of police deployed there had a tough time tackling the whole scene, and they rushed a vehicle to the gate of the jail to safely take the star through the milling crowd.

Dileep also did not let down his fans and before boarding the vehicle, waved at them and sent flying kisses.  The fans were seen shouting slogans in support of him and those who stood by him. The actor later proceeded to his ancestral home at Paravur Junction in Aluva, where actor Siddique, Dileep’s wife and former costar Kavya Madhavan and mother Sarojam and other family members and a few other film personalities. Here also a large number of people had gathered to see Dileep and the actor waved at them also from his balcony.

Additional chargesheet soon: Police

Notwithstanding the granting of bail to actor Dileep by the High Court on Tuesday, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the abduction and sexual assault of a female actor would submit the additional chargesheet “soon” as planned earlier. “The investigation is moving in the right direction and there is no lapse on the part of the SIT. We will file a chargesheet soon,”  said A. V. George, Ernakulam Rural Superintendent while refusing to comment on the court order.

The cops had hastened up investigation so as to file the chargesheet before completion of 90 days from the date on which the actor was arrested. Dileep was taken into police custody on July 10 and the SIT planned to file the chargesheet by October seven. “90 days will be completed on October eight, Sunday, hence we will submit the chargesheet on Saturday,” sources said.

Director General of Police Loknath Behra too refused to comment on the development saying he would give his opinion only after reading the court order in full. The cops are slated to record the secret statement of four more persons from the film industry. The SIT had also informed the court that they needed to question actor-director Nadirshah and actor Kavya Madhavan again at a later stage.

‘An opportunity for probe agency’

The High Court released Dileep on bail on Tuesday tasking the prosecution with consolidating and proving its arguments in the chargesheet to be submitted. On the other hand, Dileep will have to comply with the bail conditions strictly. Legal circles say he has got bail since the court has come to the conclusion that both documentary and oral evidence have been taken in the case and the investigating agencies are now awaiting only forensic results. Hence the court felt that the chances of influencing the process of investigation by Dileep were almost nil though he was strictly warned against any.  

A senior lawyer said the investigating agency can now buy time to collect more evidence to build a stronger chargesheet plugging all loopholes.  “They can thus go beyond the stipulated 90 days, and rather than a setback, this bail is an opportunity for the police,” he added. The coming few days will be critical for Dileep, and he is counting on the success of the film Ramaleela which was released when he was in jail. He, his relatives, friends and fans have a feeling that the public mood has changed significantly in favour of him a few weeks after his arrest. However, the tougher task of proving himself innocent is ahead.

The star will also be looking at resurrecting his career and resuming the shooting of his films cut half way. But he has first to make himself clear whether such moves will not violate bail conditions, in consultation with his lawyers.  He has also to see what amount of resistance he will face in the industry when he returns, especially since the AMMA had ousted him and other industry bodies stripped him of the roles he had been playing. It will be a big loss of face for the police and government if it loses the case ultimately and hence Dileep will be facing the biggest battle of his life yet, and the case will be fought through hair-splitting arguments.