Kozhikode: A Theyyam artiste from Koyilandy, who was arrested on the charge of assaulting a housewife, was remanded in judicial custody by the Nadapuram Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Wednesday.
Vattakkandiyil Sajesh, 30, was arrested by the Nadapuram police while he was preparing to perform during a temple festival. He was charged under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code for assaulting the woman with an intent to outrage her modesty.
Circle Inspector T. Sajeevan said the incident, which led to Sajesh’s arrest, took place in the last Onam season. “Following the arrest, there had been a strong demand for the release of the accused in view of temple festivals, but the police managed to tackle the situation,” he said.
Earlier, Sajesh had filed a complaint against some BJP workers from the area, alleging that they had manhandled him while he was visiting houses in Nadapuram as ‘Onapottan’. The police had arrested three suspected BJP workers from the area who had then claimed that the youth had allegedly assaulted a woman during his one of his visits as ‘Onapottan’.
