After a long wait, there is finally a verdict in the actor abduction and assault case, with the sessions court in Ernakulam finding the accused from numbers one to six guilty, including Pulsar Suni. At the same time, the court declared Dileep as being not guilty in the case. However, there are still many pressing questions that linger in the collective consciousness of a part of the public in Kerala. It is worth noting that some people in the state continue to favour the actor, but those who do not make the following considerations.
If Not Dileep, Who Masterminded the Crime?
One of the most difficult cases to prove in criminal law is the element of conspiracy behind a crime. In the case of the actor abduction and assault case, the narrative until now was that the first six accused committed the crime allegedly at the behest of Dileep and as per a contract between them. The verdict shows that they did commit the crime. This begs the question: Who played the mastermind, and why did they do so? Was there no mastermind at all? Was it the doing of Suni and his minions all along?
This brings us to question number two:
What was Pulsar Suni's Endgame?
One of the prosecution's biggest tools against Dileep was the alleged letter that Suni sent from jail to the actor, seeking the amount the latter owed to him for the contract. According to the chargesheet, he received a 1.5 crore offer for the 'job' from Dileep, and the two conspired on multiple occasions to commit the crime. At the start of the case, the actor said that he did not know Suni, but the letter and the pictures featuring the two suggested otherwise. The police eventually used the letter to link Dileep with Suni.
Until the incident from that night, Suni was not a known criminal in Kerala, although he had a prior criminal record and was considered a small-time criminal. Now, why would such a person commit a crime of such magnitude? And why did he make the claim against Dileep at the onset?
What About Director Balachandrakumar's Revelations?
Remember the time when the late Balachandrakumar made some sensational revelations against Dileep in the actor abduction and assault case? The filmmaker alleged that the actor possessed the footage of the assault and asked him to come to his residence to view it. According to Balachandrakumar, Dileep was unhappy with the survivor's alleged role in creating friction with his marriage with Manju Warrier and hence formed a vendetta against the survivor and planned the assault.
Subsequently, the filmmaker also claimed that Dileep and five others discussed putting DYSP Baiju Paulose's life in danger. A recording of the alleged conversation even leaked to the media.
Does the Police Have a Role in It?
After his acquittal, Dileep alleged that "a high-ranking female officer" and her subordinates, with a "criminal" mind, intentionally targeted him in the case following his former wife Manju Warrier's claim about a criminal conspiracy in the incident and her call for an investigation into it. "This police team fabricated a false narrative along with those accused," the actor said to the media following the verdict before claiming that a section of the media assisted them in building the narrative against him. Now, is there any truth to this?
What Happens to the Actor Abduction and Assault Case Now?
Does the verdict mean the end of the case once and for all? Likely not, with the Government of Kerala announcing its decision to appeal the verdict acquitting actor Dileep in the case soon after the verdict. This only adds further intrigue to a case that has long been a part of public debate in the state.
