Malayalam actor Edavela Babu arrested in rape case by MeToo investigation team

Actor and former General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) Edavela Babu has been arrested after being questioned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in a rape case against him.

Babu was booked by the Ernakulam Town North police on rape charges based on a complaint filed by a female actor. According to the petitioner, the incident took place at Babu’s residence in Kaloor, where she had gone to fill up a form for AMMA membership.

The Malayalam film industry has been in turmoil following allegations of sexual abuse and harassment against prominent actors and filmmakers including Jayasurya, Siddique, Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju and director Ranjith. Several actors such as Minu Muneer and Sonia Malhaar have come forward with serious allegations of sexual abuse.

These allegations follow the public release of the Justice Hema Committee report, which highlighted the exploitation and harassment of women in the Malayalam film industry. The 235-page report revealed that the industry is controlled by 10-15 male producers, directors and actors.

The Hema Justice Commission was set up by the state government in 2017 and submitted its report in 2019. However, the report was only made public recently due to legal challenges.

The uproar has led to the dissolution of the top panel of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists or AMMA. The panel, headed by Mohanlal as president, said it took moral responsibility “in light of the allegations made by some actors against some members of the committee”.

A special investigation team is currently investigating the allegations.