Police Action in Survivor Identity Leak: Congress Leader Sandeep Varier Petitions for Bail

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader Sandeep Varier has approached the Thiruvananthapuram Principal Sessions Court seeking anticipatory bail after police initiated action against coordinated cyberattacks on the survivor in the sexual assault case involving MLA Rahul Mankootathil.

The survivor’s wedding photograph had earlier appeared on Varier’s Facebook account. Varier subsequently claimed that he had attended the woman’s wedding reception and indirectly pointed followers to the photograph on his public timeline. Soon after, Congress-aligned cyber groups reportedly accessed his account and extracted the image. This cue allegedly triggered widespread circulation of the photo by party supporters. Varier later deleted the image from his profile, though the timing of his actions has raised suspicion of deliberate intent.

Acting on the survivor’s complaint, the cyber police have registered a case against six individuals. Ranjitha Pulickan, Patthanamthitta District Secretary of the Mahila Congress, is listed as the first accused. Advocate Deepa Joseph, a Congress supporter, is the second accused, while another account holder with the same name is the third. Sandeep Varier is the fourth accused, followed by Rahul Easwar as the fifth, and a Palakkad-based vlogger as the sixth accused.

The charges filed include unlawfully revealing the identity of a sexual-assault survivor, defamation and humiliation of womanhood, and issuing threats. Additional charges relating to misuse of electronic communication channels have also been invoked. The offences carry penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment.