Kerala Govt 7-member ex-police team to probe atrocities faced by women in film industry

Thiruvananthapuram: After many female actors came forward with their horrific experiences of sexual abuse in the cinema industry, the Kerala government on Sunday constituted a special team to probe the atrocities meted out to them.

The government on Sunday formed a seven-member team after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan convened a high-level meeting of senior police officials.

The Chief Minister’s Office said the special team will be headed by IG Sparjan Kumar and will comprise four women IPS officers from the state.

“Crime Branch ADGP H Venkatesh will oversee the functioning of the team,” the CMO said in a statement.

Besides Kumar, the team includes DIG S Ajeetha Begum, Crime Branch HQ SP Merin Joseph, Coastal Police AIG Poonkuzhali, Kerala Police Academy Assistant Director Aishwarya Dongre, AIG Ajith V and Crime Branch SP S Madhusoodhan.

The report by the Justice Hema Committee, set up by the Kerala government after the 2017 sexual assault case of an actress, has exposed cases of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry, leading to calls for action against the culprits.

The Malayalam film industry has been shaken by the explosive findings of the Justice K Hema commission on harassment and abuse of women professionals. On Sunday, two high-profile resignations were announced in connection with these issues.

Director Ranjith stepped down as chairman of the state film academy Kerala Chalachitra Academy and actor Siddique stepped down as general secretary of AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists).

As political pressure mounted against Ranjith, actor Siddique resigned from AMMA after voices from within his student union called for his dismissal.