Kochi, April 16 (IANS) A fresh twist has emerged in the controversy surrounding Monalisa Bhosle, the ‘Kumbh Mela viral star’, with the young woman on Thursday writing to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Kochi City Police Commissioner Putta Vimaladitya seeking protection.

In her plea, Monalisa expressed apprehension that the Madhya Pradesh Police might forcibly take her back to her hometown, even as she asserted that she is 18-years-old.

Her appeal comes at a time when a police team from Madhya Pradesh has reached Kochi to record statements from Monalisa and her husband, Farman Khan, in connection with a case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The case was filed after an inquiry by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes found that Monalisa was allegedly a minor at the time of her marriage on March 11 at a temple near Thiruvananthapuram.

Farman Khan has been able to get a stay from arrest till May 20 from the Kerala High Court.

The findings have triggered a political storm in Kerala, with the Bharatiya Janata Party accusing leaders of the ruling CPI-M of complicity.

State BJP General Secretary S. Suresh alleged that the marriage of a minor was facilitated under political patronage and demanded criminal action against those involved.

The CPI-M, however, has denied organising the wedding, saying that its leaders merely attended the wedding after learning about it.

The controversy has been further complicated by claims from Monalisa’s mother, Lata Bhosle, who insists that her daughter is a minor born in December 2009 and was lured and taken away with promises of a film career.

She has also alleged that a fake birth certificate was created to enable the marriage, a charge echoed by the Commission’s preliminary findings.

Hospital records and documents reportedly obtained with government assistance in Madhya Pradesh indicate that Monalisa was 16 years old at the time of the wedding, raising serious legal questions.

The Commission has since summoned senior police officials from both Kerala and Madhya Pradesh to appear in Delhi as investigations intensify.

With Monalisa now claiming adulthood and seeking protection in Kerala, and her family and authorities in Madhya Pradesh asserting the contrary, the case has evolved into a complex legal and political battle spanning two states.

–IANS

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