Actor Siddique resigns from Malayalam cinema body over sexual abuse allegations

Kochi Islands: Renowned actor Siddique resigned as General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) on Sunday after a female actor made allegations of sexual abuse on August 24.

Speaking to the media, the senior actor said that he had sent his resignation letter to the organisation’s chairman Mohanlal.

“Yes. I have submitted my official resignation to the president of the organisation, Mohanlal. Since there were allegations against me, I decided not to continue in the post and resigned,” Siddique said.

A female actor alleged on Saturday that Siddique sexually assaulted her after he invited her to a film review.

The allegations came after a report by the Justice Hema Commission on the sweeping changes in the Malayalam film industry was released, which highlighted numerous incidents of sexual abuse in the film industry.

The report exposes cases of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry, prompting calls for action against the culprits.

Meanwhile, several members of AMMA welcomed the senior actor’s decision to step down as the organisation’s top executive following the allegations.

Meanwhile, AMMA vice-chairman Jayan Cherthala said it was not appropriate for Siddique to continue in office even after such serious allegations were levelled against him.

Noted actor Anoop Chandran said that he had sent an email to AMMA chairman Mohanlal in the morning, expressing the need to seek Siddique’s resignation from his post.

“Keeping a person facing serious allegations in the post is actually an insult to the entire organisation. So I said in the email that if Siddique was not prepared to resign himself, the executive committee should be prepared to fire him,” Chandran told the media.

Actress Mala Parvathy said Siddique’s decision to step down was “morally and ethically correct”.

“The actor’s dismissal is inevitable… it is a befitting decision. If that victim woman showed the courage to come before the society and publicly describe the trauma she has undergone, we should understand the intensity of the pain and humiliation she has suffered,” Parvathy said.

PTI