Sreelekha Mitra withdraws from Kochi seminar over sexual harassment allegations against Ranjith: ‘Needed a breather’

Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra has pulled out of the upcoming seminar in Kochi following her allegations of sexual harassment against film director Ranjith. Mitra announced her decision on Sunday morning, citing the recent turmoil in her life and the intense media attention surrounding the allegations as reasons for her split.

In her Instagram post, Mitra describes the emotional toll the situation has taken on her. “August has always felt like ‘August’ to me..my birth month and the month of my mother’s demise, my brother’s birth month and the month and day of my dear friend’s demise. August 15th is our Independence Day and the day I moved out of my ‘shashur bari’ to (I didn’t even know how) start afresh. This August too started with the #rgkarrapemurdercase that enraged us all across territories, then the #jhargramelephantkilling to something I never thought would come out in the open after 15 years of the #malayalamfilmindustry incident and how I became an integral part of the entire #metoo movement. I was hounded by the press across the country for recounting the said incident over and over again which took a toll on me just like here when I named names of #bengalifilmindustry who’s who..REMEMBER?” she wrote.

She apologized for not being able to attend the seminar and indicated that she would like to take time for herself.

“Yes, I took a break from everything and travelled to the mountains where the silence would soothe my soul. This was my birthday gift to myself and I did not give anyone any justification for my act. Sorry that I could not travel to Kerala for the seminar which was cancelled because of me. I needed a breather as I have the right to live my life as per my choice and have never surrendered to the misogynistic society and film industry in general. Sorry again Mr. Joshy Joseph for rejecting your offer. Hopefully I will come back in better times. I HAVE DONE MY BIT NOW, LEAVE ME ALONE,” Sreelekha added.

Earlier, Malayalam film director Joshy Joseph reacted to the controversy.

“A Special Investigation Team (SIT) visited my house and we spoke for three hours. I gave a detailed account of the events from the beginning as required under Section 161 of the IPC. I will also give another statement under Section 164 before the magistrate, which I intend to do. We will produce Sreelekha Mitra before the court on September 10. There is indeed a crisis in the Malayalam industry today and we are being accused, rightly so,” Joshy Joseph had said while talking to ANI.

Earlier, Mitra filed a complaint with the Kochi City police against Ranjith on Monday, a day after he resigned as the chairman of the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy. The complaint alleged that in 2009, during discussions about a film role, Ranjith made inappropriate physical advances towards her.

In an email to the Kochi City Police Commissioner, Mitra described an incident in 2009 when she was in Kochi for talks about a role in the film Palerimanikkam, which Ranjith was directing. She alleged that during the talk, Ranjith “clamped” her hand and tried to touch other parts of her body with sexual intent.

“I was invited to act in the film ‘Palerimanikkam’ directed by Ranjith. As part of the discussion, I was called to the apartment where Sri Ranjith was staying at Kaloor Kadavanthra, Kochi. During the discussion, he grabbed my hand and later tried to spread his hand to other parts of my body with sexual intentions. When I realised that his intentions were not to discuss the film and were for sexual purposes, I had to escape from the apartment and go back to the hotel where I was staying. I shared my bitter experience with a script writer Sri Joshy Joseph the next day. Since I did not get a return ticket, I felt compelled to seek the help of Sri Joshy Joseph,” the actress wrote in her complaint.

Mitra added that she had not initially taken legal action as she was from Kolkata and was not familiar with local legal procedures, but that she had now come forward.

“As a person hailing from Kolkata, West Bengal, I could not pursue this matter further to prosecute Sri Ranjith for the offence falling under Section 354 and 354 B of the Indian Penal Code at the time of commission of the crime,” Mitra also requested the Kochi police to treat her email as a formal complaint and take appropriate legal action against Ranjith.

“Certain submissions of the government officials were also brought to my notice and the reply would show that a written complaint is necessary to register a crime. Since the conduct of Sri Ranjith constitutes commission of a cognizable offence, a written complaint is not a requirement, as I am told, after the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court. Considering the public stand of the government officials in the State of Kerala that a written complaint is a requirement, I am submitting this complaint through an email addressed to you, since the offence has been committed within your territorial limits at DD Flats, Kadavanthra, Kochi. This can be considered as a complaint and trigger the law as urged by the government officials to initiate criminal proceedings against an offender,” she added in her complaint.

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

The 235-page report, released after redacting the names of witnesses and suspects, says the Malayalam film industry is controlled by about 10 to 15 male producers, directors and actors who dominate and exercise control over the industry.

The report, prepared by a three-member panel headed by a former Kerala High Court judge and constituted by the state government in 2017, was submitted to the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government in December 2019 and made public only last month.