KOCHI: The Malayalam film industry is witnessing a flurry of activity as seventeen cases of sexual harassment and rape have been registered following complaints lodged by victims in the wake of the release of the Justice Hema Committee report.
The Hema Committee report has revealed shocking and distressing details about systemic sexual violence and discrimination against women in the Malayalam cinema. Following the revelations, the LDF government in Kerala had informed that action would be taken only if the women came out and lodged complaints, though according to legal experts, cases can be registered by the state in these cases.
The government, however, following the intervention of Kerala High Court has formed a separate team to investigate these complaints.
Following this, several female actors, including a Bengali actress who accused filmmaker Ranjith of sexual misconduct came out and lodged complaints.
The latest to come forward is Sonia Malhar, who filed a complaint with the Director General of Police on Wednesday morning, although the accused actor's name has not been disclosed.
Notably, Sonia had previously, after raining the allegations before the media, expressed reluctance to pursue legal action.
On Tuesday, after another actress, Minu Muneer accused prominent actor Jayasurya of sexual abuse, several posts on social media and media reports linked the actor to Sonia's allegations as well. Sonia urged the media and public to refrain from doing this and said her allegations were not against Jayasurya.
Meanwhile, Minu Muneer has filed a complaint against seven actors, including Mukesh, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Edavela Babu.
The Special Investigation Team recorded Minu Muneer's statement at her Kochi residence on Wednesday morning.
A rape case was also registered against actor Siddique on Wednesday based on a complaint lodged by an actress, whose allegations against him had forced the actor to step down as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA).
According to police sources, 17 complaints were received by Tuesday night, including from women who had not previously spoken out. More women are expected to come forward in the coming days.
Inspector General G Sparjan Kumar, head of the Special Investigation Team, stated that a separate team will investigate each complaint.