A 51-year-old Malayalam actress who recently lodged sexual harassment complaints against prominent actors in the film industry said that she will not withdraw her complaints and will pursue them legally to seek justice.
Speaking to the media persons, she said her family had encouraged her to continue her fight, prompting her to reconsider her decision to withdraw cases. "My family had encouraged her to continue her fight, prompting her to reconsider. "My husband called me and urged me to proceed with the cases. He assured me of full family support, saying there was no reason to back down after the harassment I endured."
On Friday, she expressed reluctance to continue the complaints, citing a "lack of support and protection from the Kerala government," as well as "mental exhaustion."
The actress had accused several male actors, including CPI(M) MLA M Mukesh, of sexual abuse, a few years ago.
She alleged that there were deliberate attempts to falsely implicate her in a POCSO case following her harassment complaints against actors such as Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Idavela Babu.
How the allegations surfaced
The allegations surfaced amid the revelations of the Justice Hema Committee report, which detailed widespread harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry.
The Kerala government had formed the Justice Hema Committee in the wake of the 2017 actress assault case. The committee's report, which has now been submitted to the Kerala High Court, was handed over to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) tasked with investigating complaints of sexual abuse within the industry.
Based on the findings of the report, the SIT has registered 26 FIRs. The actress has reiterated her commitment to fully cooperate with the investigation and emphasized that none of her complaints will be withdrawn.