Another case filed against director Ranjith for sexual abuse

The case was filed in Kozhikode and is the latest development after the release of the recent Hema Commission report.

The investigation team recorded the prosecutor’s statement on Friday.

On Friday, a complaint was filed against Ranjith by a male actor who was keen on acting, alleging that the director forced him to undress and sexually abused him in 2012.

Ranjith had invited the victim for an audition at a hotel in Bangalore, where the alleged assault took place. The complainant initially thought it was part of the audition. The next morning, Ranjith offered the victim money. The actor has now filed a complaint with the DGP and the SIT will consider it.

The Kerala Police had earlier confirmed to ANI that they had received a complaint from the young actor against Kerala filmmaker Ranjith.

On Monday, Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra filed a complaint with the Kochi city police against Ranjith, a day after he resigned as the chairman of the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy.

Following the actress’ complaint, a lawsuit was filed against the director.

Earlier this month, a redacted version of the Justice Hema Committee report on harassment of women in the Malayalam cinema industry was made public. It contains shocking accounts of intimidation, exploitation and abuse of female professionals.