Entertainment News | When will I get justice, asks Tanushree Dutta amid findings of Hema Commission report

Mumbai, Aug 21 (PTI) As long as those in power continue to protect criminals, no movement or report can bring about change, said actor Tanushree Dutta after the release of the Justice Hema Committee report that exposed the shocking harassment and sexual exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry.

Dutta, who accused actor Nana Patekar of sexual harassment in 2018, sparking what has been dubbed “India’s #MeToo movement,” said she is still waiting for justice. Patekar has repeatedly denied the allegations.

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The actress, who is also a former beauty queen, expressed her solidarity with the women who had signed up for the Justice Hema Committee’s extensive report, which was made public on Tuesday.

The panel was set up following the 2017 actress sexual assault case involving actor Dileep, to look into issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in Malayalam cinema.

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“This seems to be a theme of the #MeToo accused, as if they are projecting a decent image before the society and (if) their image breaks, their ego cannot handle it. I deeply sympathise with the victims in Kerala. Nothing will happen with these reports as women are still being attacked and exploited.

“It doesn’t matter who you are in this country — whether it’s Miss India, an actress, an educated or a successful person. As long as people in power try to protect these criminals, nobody can do much about the problem. There is this committee report, there was the Vishaka committee, and so many reports and committees are being made, but how do you follow the system when law and order is so corrupt and illegally earned money is being used to bribe the system?” Dutta told PTI in an interview.

The Vishaka Guidelines, framed by the Supreme Court in 1997, mandate organisations, both private and public, to establish a mechanism for resolving complaints of sexual harassment.

Dutta alleged in 2018 that Patekar had touched her inappropriately on the pretext of showing her dance moves on the sets of the 2009 film “Horn ‘Ok’ Pleassss”.

She had filed a complaint against Patekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya, director Rakesh Sarang and the film’s producer.

According to Dutta, she had shared the names of 14 witnesses, but police did not take statements from any of them and tried to attach a B summary report, which means police do not have enough evidence to charge or try a suspect. She said she was fighting it.

“My witnesses told me that they received threatening phone calls from PCO and the police never called them for a statement. A male witness ran away to his village, a man went to the Middle East and a female witness never came out of fear. After five years the trial is here for just our protest petition, it’s next month. Five years just to keep the case open! When will I get justice?” she added.

The former actress, who says she finds her faith a source of strength, claims she was followed and monitored by unknown groups of men everywhere she went for the past three years.

“In 2022, I met with an accident in Ujjain when someone cut the brakes of the car I was travelling in. It happened not once but twice to rule out coincidence,” alleged Dutta, who said she had undergone “mental and psychological harassment of a different level”.

“I am also someone’s daughter, don’t I have the right to live in this country and feel safe?” she asked.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the syndicated newsfeed. It is possible that LatestLY staff has not altered or edited the content.)