The Congress-led Opposition has urged the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to launch a comprehensive investigation on the basis of the Justice K Hema Committee report.
Last week, a redacted version of the Hema Committee report was made public which revealed several instances of sexual harassment of female actors in the Malayalam film industry.
The report shed light on the widespread and persistent sexual harassment faced by women in the Malayalam cinema, with many alleging they were subjected to unwanted advances even before commencing work.
The Leader of the Opposition in Kerala, VD Satheesanm wrote to Vijayan and the state’s Minister of Film and Culture, Saji Cheriyan, demanding a comprehensive inquiry under the leadership of a woman IPS officer on the basis of the statements given by the victims and Justice Hema Committee report.
Satheesanm also added in his letter that there should be a “zero tolerance” approach from the government against those who commit violence, including sexual exploitation against women and children.
“Despite the Hema Committee’s 2019 submission of a report exposing serious sexual crimes including POCSO, the government’s decision to shelve the report itself without conducting an investigation is a challenge to the legal system. This is an offence under the POCSO Act. The government should not forget that concealment or non-reporting of an offence under the POCSO Act is also a criminal offence,” he said in the letter.
“Don’t forget that failure to fulfil that obligation is a breach of oath,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, the Kerala government has maintained that a case cannot be registered based on the Hema Commission report unless a woman files a complaint on her own.
The government further added that it formed a committee to study the issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry and to find solutions for them.
Source Agencies
