In a dramatic development, the complainant in the Pantheerankavu domestic violence case on Monday retracted her allegations against her husband Rahul P. Gopal claiming that the “false statements” were made against him following pressure from her parents. She came up with the arguments in an 18-minute-long video released through her YouTube account.
The woman, who expressed interest to live with her husband, alleged that it was her parents who cooked up the “fake stories” about torture in the name of dowry. She claimed that the injuries on her body were the result of an “accidental fall” in the bathroom and not due to any assault by her husband.
In the video, she is seen expressing regret over the revelation of “false information” to the media and the police. “I did not want to do it. I was in a confused and shocked state after my parents’ brainwashing attempts,” she claimed.
Rejecting her parents’ argument that Rahul did not reveal details of his previous marriages, the woman said it was a wrong. “Rahul had already revealed details of his first registered marriage. It was because of my support that he proceeded with the arranged marriage with me. All my previous statements against him were false,” she said.
Meanwhile, police sources stressed the need for further investigation to check the reliability of the woman’s statement as she had earlier given her statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before a magistrate. No evidence had been received so far to consider it as a revelation based on any external threat or persuasion, they said.
The woman’s latest revelations came at a time when the Central Bureau of Investigation exchanged the case details with the Interpol to issue a Red Corner Notice against Rahul who had allegedly fled to Germany soon after a special investigation team was constituted in Kozhikode to probe the charges against him. The Interpol had earlier issued a Blue Corner Notice to track his details.
It was on May 5 that the wedding between Rahul and the North Paravur native took place. Complaints about the alleged physical torture and domestic violence surfaced when the woman’s parents visited her at Pantheerankavu in Kozhikode on May 12. Though the alleged grievance was taken up with the Pantheerankavu police, there was no favourable response, according to the complainant’s parents who later approached the State Police Chief and the Chief Minister for action.
The Pantheerankavu Station House Officer was placed under suspension after he was accused of cold-shouldering the initial complaint. The Kerala State Human Rights Commission and the Kerala State Women’s Commission also registered separate cases, apart from seeking reports from senior police officers on the alleged lapse.
During the investigation, Rahul’s mother, sister, and a friend were also booked. This was apart from the action taken against a civil police officer from the Pantheerankavu station who allegedly leaked the case details to Rahul, prompting him to leave the country.
Published - June 10, 2024 07:25 pm IST
