Malayalam film director Ranjith Balakrishnan booked in Bengaluru for sexually assaulting man

The Bengaluru police on Monday said they have registered an FIR against noted Malayalam film director Ranjith Balakrishnan following allegations of sexual assault by a man.

The complainant, a 31-year-old man, alleged that he was assaulted by Balakrishnan at a five-star hotel in Bengaluru. The police have registered the FIR at the BIAL police station under sections 377 and 66 E of the Information Technology Act against Balakrishnan.

According to the FIR, the alleged incident took place in December 2012, when the complainant initially met Director Balakrishnan during a film shooting in Kozhikode. The complainant stated that he had gone to meet actor Mammootty during the shoot of 'Bavuttiyude Namathil', a film written and produced by Balakrishnan.

The complainant alleged that during the meeting, Balakrishnan reportedly managed to get his phone number and invited him to a hotel near Kempegowda International Airport, where he allegedly offered him alcohol and sexually assaulted him.

"The complaint was initially filed at a police station in Kerala but the case was transferred to Bengaluru because the alleged incident of sexual assault occurred at a five-star hotel here and an FIR has now been registered," a senior police official said.

The police said the complaint was originally filed in Kerala, but was transferred to Bengaluru because the alleged incident took place in a five-star hotel in the city.

“The complaint was initially filed at a police station in Kerala but the case was transferred to Bengaluru because the alleged incident of sexual assault occurred at a five-star hotel here and an FIR has now been registered,” news agency PTI quoted Bengaluru police as saying.

"The incident allegedly took place in 2012, but the complainant came out now in the wake of a series of sexual harassment allegations by many artists in the Malayalam film industry, which he claimed gave him the courage to register his complaint," the official added.

"Based on the complaint received, a case was registered on October 26 at BIAL (Bangalore International Airport Limited) police station under section 377 (unnatural offences) and 66 E (violation of privacy) of Information Technology Act against the director and the matter is being investigated," he said.

On September 9, the Kozhikode Principal Sessions Court granted anticipatory bail to Ranjith in the case. The bail was valid for 30 days.