Second woman accuses Malayalam actor Vijay Babu of sexual misconduct

Trouble seems to be mounting for actor-producer Vijay Babu as another woman from the film industry alleged that he had tried to kiss her forcibly. The allegation was raised on Friday by the woman on the Facebook page Women Against Sexual Harassment. After police registered the rape case against him, Babu has gone into hiding. On Thursday the Kochi police issued a lookout circular for the actor, who also faces a case on the charge of revealing his first accuser’s name in a Facebook Live video. The fresh sexual assault allegation came at a time when Babu has moved the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail.

The woman wrote on the Facebook page: “This was a one day incident. I met Vijay Babu, Actor cum producer, owner of Friday film house in the month of November 2021. We met for a work-related thing. We discussed some professional things and later personal issues came up. He realised that I needed help and offered to help me. One other friend, who was there with us, stepped outside the room, so now only we both were there. “He was drinking alcohol and offered it to me as well. I refused and continued working. Suddenly he just leaned to kiss me on my lips, without any question, without any consent. Luckily, my reflex action was super quick and I just pulled myself backwards and maintained a distance from him. I looked into his face, and he then asked me ‘Just one kiss?’. I stood up and said no. He started apologizing from then and requested me to not tell anyone. I agreed as I was scared. I immediately got out of the room casually for some silly reason.

“Even though he didn’t further force me to do anything, the thing which he did was cheap and scary. I had to discontinue my work because of this. I just stopped taking efforts to enter the malayalam film industry after this, which was a dream for me until then. “I realised that we just barely knew each other for 20-30 minutes, within this time frame he made his first movement. I wondered how many women would have faced a much worse experience. I decided to bring up this after reading the recent incident which happened to an actress. I understand through what all she had gone through. When some group of people is speaking against her I was not able to keep quiet, as I know, he is someone who would do this. He is someone who tries to utilize vulnerable women offering help. ’’The woman said she was recalling the incident to “raise her voice for the rape survivor”. She said she would stand with the first accuser. “She deserves justice. Also, by removing or punishing people like him, the myths about the film industry–‘not safe for women’ should be proved wrong for women like me to not be scared to step in,” she wrote on Facebook.