Malayalam actor Siddique accused of rape after firing from AMMA

An FIR has been registered against actor Siddique at the museum police station under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

A rape case has been filed against a Malayalam actor Siddique next female actor Revathy Sampath’s allegation that he sexually assaulted her in 2016, police said on Wednesday. An FIR under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) has been registered against the actor at the Museum police station, a senior police official said. The case was registered under the IPC as the offence allegedly took place in 2016.

This is the second FIR against a well-known film star, following allegations of sexual harassment against several directors and actors, following revelations in the Justice Hema Committee report.

The first case, under IPC Section 354 (assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her), was against director Ranjith based on a complaint filed by West Bengal-based female actor Sreelekha Mitra over an incident that took place in 2009. Sreelekha had alleged that the director had inappropriately touched her for sexual purposes after he invited her to act in the 2009 film Paleri Manikyam. Following the actor’s allegation, Ranjith had resigned as the chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy.

Siddique had also resigned as General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) following the allegations against him.

The Justice Hema Committee was set up by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress sexual assault case. The report exposed cases of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.

Following allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation against several actors and directors, the state government on August 25 announced the formation of a seven-member special investigation team to probe the allegations.