Ranjith, Siddique quit posts, govt forms special probe team

Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi: Heads began rolling in the Malayalam film world on Sunday in the aftermath of the Justice K Hema Committee’s explosive findings of harassment and abuse of women professionals, leading to two high-profile resignations over allegations of sexual abuse.

Amid mounting pressure on the govt to take action against alleged predators in the film industry, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan convened a high-level meeting with senior police officials and decided to establish a seven-member special team to investigate the atrocities faced by women actors. Director Ranjith and actor Siddique stepped down from their leadership roles in a state-run film academy and the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (A.M.M.A), respectively.

An award-winning filmmaker, screen writer and actor, Ranjith was under fire after a Bengali female actor accused him of misbehaviour years ago, but the issue came to the limelight in the wake of the Hema Committee report becoming public.

Siddique too quit, as the general secretary of AMMA amid voices from within his fraternity seeking his resignation following a sexual assault complaint raised against him by a young actress.

Putting more pressure on the govt, some other female actors also narrated their harrowing experiences in front of the media without naming their accused male colleagues later in the day.