The Kerala government on Sunday decided to constitute a Special Investigative Team (SIT) to probe the allegations raised by female actors in Malayalam cinema.
In a meeting called by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan of top police officials, it was decided to form the SIT comprising senior women police officers under the leadership of Spurjan Kumar.
The team consists of S Ajeeta Begum (DIG), Merin Joseph (SP Crime Branch HQ), G Poonkuzhali (AIG Coastal Police), Aishwarya Donkre (Asst. Director Kerala Police Academy), Ajith V (AIG, Law & Order), and S Madhusudanan (SP Crime Branch).
CM Vijayan has held meeting of top police officials after some women working in the field of cinema came out with interviews and statements describing the ordeals they had to face in the industry.
Earlier in the day, Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith resigned as the chairman of Kerala Chalachitra Academy following allegations of misbehaviour levelled against him by a Bengali actor. The Bengali actress recently alleged that the filmmaker had behaved in an inappropriate manner when she came up for the shooting of a film that he had helmed in 2009. The filmmaker has rejected the actor’s charge and claimed that he was the “real victim” in the case.
After Ranjith announced his resignation, state Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cheriyan told reporters in the state capital the government would accept the filmmaker’s resignation as soon as he sent it.
Actor Siddique also resigned as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (A.M.M.A.) following sexual assault allegations raised by a woman actor. Speaking to media, the senior actor said he had sent his resignation letter to the President of the organisation, Mohanlal.
“Yes. I have tendered my official resignation to the president of the organisation, Mohanlal. Since there were allegations against me, I have decided not to continue in the post and resigned,” Siddique said. A female actor had on Saturday alleged that Siddique had sexually abused her after inviting her for a movie discussion.
Hema Committee report:
The developments came after Justice K Hema Committee in its report recorded explosive accounts of harassment, exploitation and ill-treatment of female professionals in the film industry and alleged that a “criminal gang” is controlling the industry where unyielding women are squeezed out
The 233-page report, perhaps the first such for any film industry in India, details the power nexus in the Malayalam cinema industry and lays bare the multiple levels of exploitation faced by women in it. In the aftermath of an assault case on an actress involving actor Dileep in 2017, the Kerala government appointed a panel to study issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality.
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