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IDUKKI: The Malayalam film industry is reeling from a wave of sexual misconduct allegations that have surfaced in the wake of the Justice Hema Committee Report, which exposed widespread abuse within the industry.
As the scandal deepened, the first police case in Kottayam was registered at the Ponkunnam police station.
The police have registered a case based on the complaint filed by a Kollam-based make-up artist against her make-up manager – Koratty resident Sajeevan. The woman has accused him of sexual misconduct.
As per the sources, the woman had earlier given a statement before the Hema Committee after which she had filed a complaint at the Pooyapally police station in Kollam and the Ponkunam police station on the issue.
However, the follow-up action will be initiated after consulting the special investigation team (SIT) formed by the government to probe the allegations of sexual abuse of women in the Malayalam film industry as revealed in the Hema Committee report.
FIR filed against other actors
The Ernakulam North police in Kerala have lodged a non-bailable case under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code against filmmaker Ranjith based on a complaint lodged by a woman actor.
The Museum police in Thiruvananthapuram have also registered a first information report (FIR) after an aspiring woman actor accused veteran Malayalam actor and former general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) Siddique of allegedly raping her at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016.
Similarly, an FIR filed against actor Jayasurya at the Karamana police station based on the complaint filed by an actress alleging sexual harassment was later transferred to the Thodupuzha police station in Idukki.
The special investigation team formed by the state government is probing these cases as well.
