Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 3 (IANS): Chief whip in the Kerala assembly P.C. George Sunday asked state Cinema and Forests Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar to quit after he was allegedly beaten up by his lover's husband.

George told reporters in Kottayam that he came to know Feb 22 that Kumar was beaten up by the woman's husband, but did not speak about it.

"This came as a news report in a vernacular newspaper today (Sunday), but it does not name the minister. The minister who got beaten up is Ganesh Kumar. I am naming him because I do not want to keep the other 19 ministers' names under a cloud. Kumar should resign," said George.

According to the news report, the incident occurred at the official residence of the minister here.

Kumar said: "I deny the allegations. No such incident happened. It is unfortunate that George is doing this. I will initiate legal action against him and will complain to the chief minister," Kumar said.

Kumar, 47, a film actor for more than two decades, joined politics in 2001 and went on to becomes a minister in the A.K. Antony cabinet.

In 2003, he made way for his father in the cabinet and won two successive elections. In 2011, he was inducted as Forests and Cinema minister in Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's cabinet.