Malayalam Actress Shweta Menon alleges molestation, Congress MP N. Peethambara Kurup denies charges

Kollam – Leading Malayalam film actor Shweta Menon, who was allegedly molested by Congress MP N. Peethambara Kurup, on Saturday said she would lodge a formal complaint with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy about the “humiliation” she suffered.

“As a woman I feel degraded and disrespected and I will be giving a complaint to the Chief Minister,” she told reporters at Kochi.

73-year-old Kurup, however, termed the allegation as “untrue”.

“For the time being it needs to be seen only as a politically motivated move when elections are approaching. It is painful that any kind of malicious attack could be unleashed against me just because I am a politician,” he said.

Shweta, along with her husband Sreevalsan Menon, met office-bearers of various film industry bodies, including AMMA at Kochi, about the Friday evening incident.

Sreevalsan said a complaint had already been drawn up and it just needed to be e-mailed to the Chief Minister seeking appropriate action.

“We have decided to send this to the Chief Minister and we have requested him to take action,” Shewata said claiming that the film fraternity has pledged full support to her.

Asked repeatedly about the person allegedly involved in the incident, the actress, who has so far not named her tormentor, said all the details were in the complaint.

Shweta said what pained her most was that the District Collector “ignored” her complaint. “The collector said I did not speak to him. He has let me down as a person,” she said.

Rejecting Kurup’s contention that the charge was part of a politically motivated move, she said: This is not politics and there is no question of me backing out from by complaint. I know I will get support from all sides.”

Shweta was allegedly molested by the Congress MP on Friday evening at the venue of the President’s Trophy boat race in Kollam.

The television footage of the event showed the MP moving towards the actress and touching her.

The incident has triggered strong protests from film fraternity and women outfits.