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Rahul Easwar, arrested for 'defaming' rape survivor, remanded to 14 days judicial custody

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Rahul Easwar, who was arrested for allegedly insulting the modesty of the woman who had filed a rape complaint against Rahul Mamkootathil MLA, was remanded to 14 days' judicial custody by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court here on Monday. The court noted that the allegation was serious in nature and since the investigation is at the nascent stage, letting Rahul out on bail would send a wrong message to the public. He was shifted to Poojappura district jail. Rahul told the media that the police lied before the court and he will go on a hunger strike in prison. Earlier, while being taken to his house by the cops for recovering his laptop, which was reportedly used to edit and upload content against the victim, Rahul had alleged that the cops wanted him to do posts criticizing Mamkootathil. The cyber police on Sunday arrested activist Rahul Easwar and booked four others, including Congress leader Sandeep Warrier, for allegedly unleashing a cyber attack against the woman, who had filed a complaint of rape and forceful termination of pregnancy against Rahul Mamkootathil MLA. Rahul was detained on Sunday afternoon and his arrest was recorded later in the night after sustained interrogation. He was initially booked under BNS sections 72 and 79 and IT Act sections 43 and 46 -- for insulting the modesty of woman and revealing identity of survivor. Will continue speaking for Rahul Mamkootathil, says Rahul Easwar Later, additional non-bailable sections were added. The cyber cops sprang into action and registered cases against five people after a massive cyber attack was reported against the complainant. The three others who were booked are Mahila Congress leader Renjitha Pulickan, Deepa Joseph, and Deepa Mathew. The police action came following the complaint registered by the survivor, who had alleged that her personal details were being circulated on social media. As per the FIR, the accused shared the details of the woman, including her photographs, on Facebook and YouTube. Same sections have been invoked against all the accused.Rahul had courted controversy after allegedly making statements that outraged modesty of women on social media as well as during TV channel discussions. Sandeep was caught in a fix after allegedly posting the picture of the woman on his Facebook page. The cyber police decided to ramp up action against the cyber attackers after the victim was subjected to massive cyber attacks. The police sources said instructions have been given to the district police chiefs, under whom the cyber stations function, to effectively monitor cyberspace and take action against those who post demeaning content against the rape survivor.