SIT probe into Mollywood sexual abuse accelerates

Members of the Women’s Justice Movement on Tuesday staged a march from the Superintendent of Police Office in Palakkad. They called for an inquiry into the findings of the Hema Commission report and demanded immediate implementation of its recommendations. | Photo credit: KK Mustafah

The massive investigation into complaints of sexual exploitation and abuse in the Malayalam film industry gathered momentum on Wednesday.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the allegations recorded the statement of the woman artiste who had publicly accused veteran actor and former General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, Siddique, of rape at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram. The statement was meant as an audition for a film project.

The SIT also focused on Kochi, where investigators summoned a female actor who had openly accused four actors and two production heads of sexually abusing her. She had also accused a politically connected lawyer of trying to traffic her with a film producer for sex.

Officials said the SIT would try to strengthen the testimonies of the survivors by convincing them to testify behind closed doors at a police court.

However, they said that testimony alone may not provide the standard of proof needed to ensure a conviction in cases of sexual abuse reported too late.

Therefore, the SIT may, for example, examine schedules of previous productions, photographs from film sets, statements from fellow actors and technical staff, and memories of costumes to validate the survivors’ testimonies and establish a timeline to reconstruct the series of events and circumstances leading up to the crime.

In addition, the statements of drivers and personal staff of the suspects, several well-known actors, who often follow a well-planned day by setting shooting dates in advance, could be decisive for the case.

The production companies and their accountants can provide evidence of schedules, payments and other financial transactions, including hotel and car rentals.

The police may record such statements as affidavits for the benefit of the prosecution. The SIT will also question co-actors who worked with the suspects in film sets relevant to the crime.

A senior investigator said such additional statements could help the police bolster the survivors’ testimonies and enable the prosecution to build a watertight case against the suspects. He said finding well-validated evidence to bolster the credibility of the survivor’s story could be the SIT’s goal.

Police have so far adopted a victim-centered approach to investigations. Law enforcement seemed keenly aware that survivors of sexual abuse had faced severe personal and professional adversity and risked ostracism and vicious cyberattacks for coming forward, albeit years later. The high-profile and politically sensitive investigation has captured public attention and dominated the state’s news cycle for days.