‘There Has to Be Exemplary Punishments’

‘These
allegations
need
to
be
treated
with
utmost
seriousness.’

The
fallout
from
the
Justice
K
Hema
Committee
report
on
harassment
and
abuse
in
the
Malayalam
film
industry
intensified
as
several
female
actors
stepped
forward
with
disturbing
accounts
of
the
mistreatment
they
faced
at
the
hands
of
their
various
male
counterparts.

A
case
was
charged
against
film-maker
Ranjith
after
a
Bengali
actress
filed
a
complaint
on
Monday
with
the
Kochi
city
police
commissioner.

The
complaint,
sent
via
e-mail,
alleged
that
Ranjith
had
touched
her
inappropriately
with
sexual
intent
after
inviting
her
to
act
in
the
movie

Paleri
Manikyam
in
2009.

Kochi
Police
Commissioner
S
Syamsundar
said
a
case
under
IPC
Section
354
(assault
or
criminal
force
on
woman
with
intent
to
outrage
her
modesty)
has
been
registered
against
Ranjith.

Another
actress,
Minu
Muneer,
who
has
appeared
in
a
handful
of
movies,
levelled
sexual
abuse
allegations
against
prominent
actors
M
Mukesh,
who
is
also
an
MLA,
Jayasurya
and
Maniyanpilla
Raju,
as
well
as
small-time
actor
Idavela
Babu
who
has
a
prominent
role
in
the
actors’
association.

In
a
Facebook
post,
Minu
Muneer
said,
‘I
am
writing
to
report
a
series
of
incidents
of
physical
and
verbal
abuse
I
suffered
at
the
hands
of
1
Mukesh
2
Maniyan
Pilla
Raju,
3
Idavela
Babu,
4
Jayasoorya
(Jayasurya),
5
adv
Chandrasekaran,
6
production
controller
Noble
and
Vichu,
in
the
Malayalam
film
industry.

‘In
2013,
I
was
subjected
to
physical
and
verbal
abuse
by
these
individuals
while
working
on
a
project.
I
tried
to
cooperate
and
continue
working,
but
the
abuse
became
unbearable,’
the
actress,
who
signed
as
Minu
Kurian
in
her
Facebook
post,
alleged.

With
the
exception
of
Maniyanpilla
Raju,
none
of
the
actors
have
reacted.

On
the
same
day,
a
junior
artist
accused
actor
Baburaj,
known
for
villain
roles,
of
sexual
assault.

Rejecting
the
allegations,
Baburaj,
an
office
bearer
in
the
Association
of
Malayalam
Movie
Artists
(AMMA),
claimed
it
was
an
attempt
by
vested
interests
in
the
film
industry
to
prevent
him
from
becoming
AMMA
general
secretary,
replacing
Siddique,
who
resigned
on
Sunday
amid
similar
charges.

Meanwhile,
the
allegations
of
sexual
harassment
charges
against
two-time
CPI-M
MLA
M
Mukesh
brought
embarrassment
to
the
state
government.

Though
the
Opposition
parties
have
accused
the
Left
government
of
protecting
the
predators,
its
leaders
put
up
a
defence,
saying
a
special
investigation
team
has
been
formed
to
probe
the
allegations.

The
continuing
charges
against
Mukesh,
who
represents
Kollam
constituency
in
the
assembly,
have
put
the
CPI-M-led
government
under
pressure.

A
harassment
allegation
levelled
by
a
woman
against
Mukesh
years
ago
also
resurfaced
on
Sunday.

Hours
after
Minu
Muneer’s
allegations
against
Mukesh
on
Monday,
workers
from
the
Yuva
Morcha
and
Mahila
Congress
organised
separate
marches
towards
his
residence
in
Kollam,
demanding
that
a
case
be
registered
against
him
and
that
he
resign
as
a
legislator.

Opposition
leader
V
D
Satheesan
said
he
expects
that,
like
Ranjith
and
Siddique,
Mukesh
will
also
step
down.

Reacting
to
the
revelations
against
Mukesh,
Higher
Education
Minister
R
Bindhu
said
any
accusation
against
any
person
should
be
examined
on
factual
grounds.

“The
wrongdoers
should
be
punished.
Innocent
people
should
not
be
penalised,”
she
told
the
media.

Eminent
writer
Sara
Joseph
and
Kerala
Chalachitra
Academy
Vice-Chairman
Premkumar
raised
objections
against
the
reported
inclusion
of
Mukesh
in
the
film
policy
committee
of
the
state
government’s
upcoming
cinema
conclave.

“The
inclusion
of
Mukesh
on
the
panel
is
ridiculous.
He
should
resign
as
MLA
if
he
has
any
self
pride,”
Joseph
said.

Mukesh
has
claimed
he
is
being
deliberately
targeted
by
vested
interests
as
he
is
a
CPI-M
MLA.

Actor
Maniyanpilla
Raju
has
called
for
an
overall
investigation:
“Some
people
will
try
to
capitalise
on
the
situation.
Among
those
accused,
there
will
be
both
innocent
and
guilty
parties.
Therefore,
a
comprehensive
investigation
is
necessary.”

Meanwhile,
leading
actor
Prithviraj
has
called
for
corrective
actions
from
AMMA
and
a
comprehensive
investigation
into
the
various
allegations.

In
a
statement
to
the
media,
the
actor
said,
‘If
allegations
have
been
made,
thorough
investigations
need
to
be
followed
up
with,
and
if
these
investigations
lead
to
the
allegation
being
proven
right,
there
has
to
be
exemplary
punishments
handed
out.

‘On
the
other
side,
if
the
allegations
are
false,
even
then
there
should
be
exemplary
punishments.
Either
way,
these
allegations
need
to
be
treated
with
utmost
seriousness,
and
I
hope
this
is
the
beginning
of
a
process
that
will
clear
up
everything
in
front
of
us.’