Congress MLA M Vincent arrested for suspected rape, stalking in Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala Congress MLA M Vincent was arrested for alleged rape and stalking on Saturday based on a statement given by a 51-year-old woman, who attempted suicide after she was allegedly harassed by him.Vincent was arrested after being questioned at the Thiruvananthapuram  MLA hostel on Saturday. Vincent, a first time legislator, was grilled for over two hours by a team of police. He was later taken for further interrogation. He later was moved to an undisclosed location for further interrogation and then arrested.Vincent has moved for anticipatory bail from a court in Thiruvananthapuram.The police team will now meet up with Kollam Superintendent of Police S. Ajeetha Begum, who heads the probe team.A case was registered on Thursday against the Congress MLA, who represents the Kovalam segment, on charges of stalking, rape and abetment of suicide based on the statement given by the woman who had last week tried to end her life at nearby Balaramapuram, police sources said.However, Vincent had alleged there was a "political conspiracy" behind the accusation and filed a complaint with the police, demanding a probe into the issue.Senior women leaders in the Congress party M Bindu Krishna and Shanimol Usman have asked Vincent to step down as legislator and face the probe.Meanwhile, angry youth activists of the CPM took to the streets in the state capital and burnt an effigy of the legislator.Thiruvananthapuram district CPM secretary Anavoor Nagappan told the media that Vincent should quit in the wake of the serious charges against him.Leader of opposition and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said the legislator has told the party that he is innocent and is ready to face any probe."Now a free and fair probe is required, and no politics should creep into the probe," said Chennithala.In this week, Vincent is the second Congress member to have been booked for rape. Earlier on Monday, Rohit Tilak, great-grandson of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, had been booked for allegedly raping a woman and forcing her into "unnatural" sex. The police have slapped charges of rape, unnatural offences, voluntarily causing hurt, insult with an intent to provoke breach of peace and criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code on the senior Congress leader.With inputs from agencies.