Second sexual abuse allegation against Kerala director Ranjith

Kerala police have filed a second sexual assault case against film director Ranjith on a complaint by a budding actor. The case, filed in Kozhikode, follows the recently released Hema Commission report.

The investigation team recorded the statement of the complainant on Friday. The budding male actor had alleged that Ranjith forced him to disrobe and sexually assaulted him during an audition in 2012, which the director organised at a hotel in Bangalore.

Ranjith initially believed the actions were part of the audition, but the next morning he offered the victim money. The aspiring actor has now filed a complaint with the DGP and the SIT will investigate. The Kerala Police confirmed receipt of the complaint, which marks the second allegation against the filmmaker.

To add to the controversy, Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra filed a complaint with the Kochi City police on Monday, a day after Ranjith resigned as the chairperson of the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy. Her complaint also led to a case being filed against the principal.

Earlier this month, a redacted version of the Justice Hema Committee report was made public, which highlighted the harassment and exploitation faced by women in the Malayalam cinema industry and exposed serious misconduct within the industry. (ANI)

(With input from agencies.)