The Museum Police in Thiruvananthapuram, on Wednesday, recorded the statement of the woman actor, who filed a complaint against noted Malayalam actor and former general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) Siddique, alleging that he had raped her at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016.
A police team led by a sub Inspector from the Museum police station recorded the actress’s statement.
The actress, on Tuesday, filed a complaint with the state police chief via email, alleging that Siddique had sexually assaulted her at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016. Following this, the Museum Police booked Siddique for allegedly raping the actress in 2016. The accused has also been booked on charges of illegally detaining and threatening the actress under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The case was registered under the IPC as the offence allegedly occurred in 2016.
Siddique, on Tuesday, filed a complaint with the state police chief alleging an agenda behind the allegations against him.
Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to investigate the sexual assault allegations being raised by victims after the release of the Hema Committee report, recorded the statement of the woman actor who filed sexual assault complaints against seven film personalities in the Malayalam film industry. The woman actor has filed a complaint against seven film personalities, including actors Mukesh, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, and Maniyanpilla Raju.
In the wake of the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, 17 cases of sexual harassment and rape have been registered in the state following complaints lodged by the victims. The report has emboldened the women in the Malayalam film world to come forward and reveal the sexual assault they faced in the industry.
The growing sexual harassment allegations being raised by women actors against high-profile figures in the Malayalam industry are fast developing into a movement in Mollywood which is similar to Hiollywood’s # MeToo which was triggered by allegations against Harvey Weinstein the powerful producer and co-founder of Miramax Films, in 2017.
Meanwhile, a group of 100 women activists called for the resignation of actor Mukesh from his position as Kollam MLA. The women’s group, in a statement demanded the resignation of Mukesh from his position as MLA, stating that he has no right to continue in the position, given the gravity of allegations levelled against him. So far, three women actors have come forward with sexual assault charges against him. Noted writers Sara Joseph, KR Meera, and VP Suhara are among those who signed the statement.
Renowned film director Vinayan had written to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking to remove director B Unnikrishnan from the film policy committee headed by Shaji N Karun. In his letter, Vinayan pointed out that Unnikrishnan faced action from the Competition Commission of India over his complaint.