Kerala: The actress at the centre of the 2017 sexual assault case has broken her silence after a video of one of the accused, Martin Antony, resurfaced on social media.
In an Instagram post written in Malayalam, she said, "Not a survivor, not a victim, just a simple human being!! Let me live."
In her post, the actress expressed frustration at the legal system and the circulation of the video, which she described as disturbing and insensitive. She reflected on the trauma she endured following the assault, writing that she regretted speaking up immediately after the attack.
She wrote, "I made a mistake. When an attack happened to me, I immediately complained to the police and went ahead demanding legal action!! I should have kept quiet and said nothing to anyone, thinking that everything that happened that day was fate, and later when that video would come out, I should have committed suicide without knowing what to say to those who accused me of not reporting it to the police at that time."
She also expressed her frustration at the resurfacing of the video. "I saw a video of the second accused, who was sentenced to 20 years in jail. The video he took before he went to jail he could have also said that it was me who took your naked video. To those who say and spread such perversions, may this not happen to you or those in your house!! Not a victim, not a survivor, just a simple human being!! let me live," added the actress.
The video in the centre of the controversy is a video made by Martin Antony, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the 2017 gang-rape case. The Kerala Police have registered a case against him for revealing the survivor's identity and defaming her. The complaint was filed by the actress herself, prompting the Thrissur City Police to act on December 18.
The 2017 case involved the abduction and sexual assault of the actress in February of that year. On December 8, 2025, the District and Principal Sessions Court in Kochi sentenced six accused - Pulsar Suni, Martin Antony, B Manikandan, Vijeesh VP, Salim H alias Vadival Salim, and Pradeep - to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, the minimum sentence for gang rape under Indian law. Malayalam actor Dileep, the eighth accused, was acquitted due to lack of evidence, a verdict that sparked protests and widespread debate across Kerala.