A magistrate court here on Tuesday granted police the custody of Congress legislator M. Vincent who was arrested last week on the suspicion of having repeatedly raped a 51-year-old homemaker, an acquaintance of his, and, consequently, prompted her to attempt suicide.
The MLA’s custody period ends at 4 p.m. on Wednesday after which the court will consider his bail plea.
Mr. Vincent’s arrest has triggered protests across his constituency, including a continuing hunger strike by local Congress workers.
The police have moved the complainant to a safe house fearing for her security. Persons suspected to be Mr. Vincent’s supporters pelted her house with stones and eggs. Top Opposition leaders have expressed solidarity with the MLA and said the charges against him were false.
Investigators said they required the legislator’s presence to retrieve a mobile phone suspected to have been used in the crime. They also required taking the MLA to the woman’s house to prepare a crime scene report.
The prosecution argued against letting the MLA out on bail on the ground that he would intimidate key witnesses.
The complainant’s sworn statement to a magistrate indicated the legislator’s culpability. Cellphone records, circumstantial evidence and statements of few key witnesses have strengthened the case against him.
Mr. Vincent, who appeared tired but defiant, told scores of supporters who mobbed him outside a local hospital that he was the victim of a diabolical conspiracy hatched by CPI(M) district secretary Anavoor Nagappan and Neyyatinkara MLA K. Ansalan.
The workers greeted his comments with loud cheers. Mr. Nagappan was present when the woman was admitted to the hospital.
Mr. Vincent said they should be booked for conspiracy. The police had arrested him from the MLA Quarters and hustled him into a waiting police vehicle like a common criminal. The police served him no notice as mandated by law. The prosecution’s remand report filed against him in the court was a dossier of lies. The police now wanted to humiliate him further by dragging him around in public on the pretext of collecting evidence.
