Eldhose Kunnappilly rape case: Survivor turns hostile

T’puram: The survivor in the rape case against former Perumbavoor MLA Eldhose Kunnappilly turned hostile during the trial before the Neyyattinkara court on Monday.

During the examination before the court, the complainant stated that Kunnappilly had not sexually assaulted her and that the MLA’s friends had not threatened her. The court is expected to consider the further proceedings in the case on Tuesday.

According to the chargesheet filed by the district crime branch, the woman, a native of Paravur in Ernakulam currently residing in Thiruvananthapuram, had alleged that Kunnappilly raped her three times at different locations. The chargesheet also stated that when she threatened to reveal the alleged assaults, he forcibly took her to a hilltop in Kovalam and attempted to kill her by pushing her off the hill.

Two friends of Kunnappilly were also arraigned as accused in the case.

The case had triggered a major political controversy in Sept 2022 after an argument broke out between the MLA and the woman in a public place at Kovalam. The issue escalated after the woman lodged a police complaint about two weeks later.