'There Has to Be Exemplary Punishments'

'These allegations need to be treated with utmost seriousness.'

The fallout from the Justice K Hema Committee report on harassment and abuse in the Malayalam film industry intensified as several female actors stepped forward with disturbing accounts of the mistreatment they faced at the hands of their various male counterparts.

A case was charged against film-maker Ranjith after a Bengali actress filed a complaint on Monday with the Kochi city police commissioner.

The complaint, sent via e-mail, alleged that Ranjith had touched her inappropriately with sexual intent after inviting her to act in the movie Paleri Manikyam in 2009.

Kochi Police Commissioner S Syamsundar said a case under IPC Section 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty) has been registered against Ranjith.

Another actress, Minu Muneer, who has appeared in a handful of movies, levelled sexual abuse allegations against prominent actors M Mukesh, who is also an MLA, Jayasurya and Maniyanpilla Raju, as well as small-time actor Idavela Babu who has a prominent role in the actors' association.

In a Facebook post, Minu Muneer said, 'I am writing to report a series of incidents of physical and verbal abuse I suffered at the hands of 1 Mukesh 2 Maniyan Pilla Raju, 3 Idavela Babu, 4 Jayasoorya (Jayasurya), 5 adv Chandrasekaran, 6 production controller Noble and Vichu, in the Malayalam film industry.

'In 2013, I was subjected to physical and verbal abuse by these individuals while working on a project. I tried to cooperate and continue working, but the abuse became unbearable,' the actress, who signed as Minu Kurian in her Facebook post, alleged.

With the exception of Maniyanpilla Raju, none of the actors have reacted.

On the same day, a junior artist accused actor Baburaj, known for villain roles, of sexual assault.

Rejecting the allegations, Baburaj, an office bearer in the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), claimed it was an attempt by vested interests in the film industry to prevent him from becoming AMMA general secretary, replacing Siddique, who resigned on Sunday amid similar charges.

Meanwhile, the allegations of sexual harassment charges against two-time CPI-M MLA M Mukesh brought embarrassment to the state government.

Though the Opposition parties have accused the Left government of protecting the predators, its leaders put up a defence, saying a special investigation team has been formed to probe the allegations.

The continuing charges against Mukesh, who represents Kollam constituency in the assembly, have put the CPI-M-led government under pressure.

A harassment allegation levelled by a woman against Mukesh years ago also resurfaced on Sunday.

Hours after Minu Muneer's allegations against Mukesh on Monday, workers from the Yuva Morcha and Mahila Congress organised separate marches towards his residence in Kollam, demanding that a case be registered against him and that he resign as a legislator.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan said he expects that, like Ranjith and Siddique, Mukesh will also step down.

Reacting to the revelations against Mukesh, Higher Education Minister R Bindhu said any accusation against any person should be examined on factual grounds.

"The wrongdoers should be punished. Innocent people should not be penalised," she told the media.

Eminent writer Sara Joseph and Kerala Chalachitra Academy Vice-Chairman Premkumar raised objections against the reported inclusion of Mukesh in the film policy committee of the state government's upcoming cinema conclave.

"The inclusion of Mukesh on the panel is ridiculous. He should resign as MLA if he has any self pride," Joseph said.

Mukesh has claimed he is being deliberately targeted by vested interests as he is a CPI-M MLA.

Actor Maniyanpilla Raju has called for an overall investigation: "Some people will try to capitalise on the situation. Among those accused, there will be both innocent and guilty parties. Therefore, a comprehensive investigation is necessary."

Meanwhile, leading actor Prithviraj has called for corrective actions from AMMA and a comprehensive investigation into the various allegations.

In a statement to the media, the actor said, 'If allegations have been made, thorough investigations need to be followed up with, and if these investigations lead to the allegation being proven right, there has to be exemplary punishments handed out.

'On the other side, if the allegations are false, even then there should be exemplary punishments. Either way, these allegations need to be treated with utmost seriousness, and I hope this is the beginning of a process that will clear up everything in front of us.'