Hema Committee: Kerala Govt Orders SIT Probe Into Allegations Of Sexual Harassment In Malayalam Cinema

The state government's decision comes after Congress leader Chennithala accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the state government of not taking any action into the allegations.

"After the publication of the Hema Committee report, the film industry in Kerala is under cloud. I don't think that everyone working in the film field is guilty but from the inaction by the Kerala government for 4 years, it is very clear that they want to hide something and protect some people involved in it," Chennithala told news agency ANI.

Following this, the Kerala government has ordered the formation of a special investigation team to look into the allegations.

The special team will be led by a woman IAS officer and will probe into the allegations of sexual harassment against top actors of the state film industry.

What Did The Hema Commission Say?

The 235-page report, which had testimonies from 51 industry professionals, brought to light the issues of exploitation in the Malayalam film industry - ranging from harassment, exploitation, ill-treatment and other human rights abuses of women.

The report also revealed that the film industry is dominated by 10 to 15 male producers, directors and actors who continue to have major control over the industry.

Following the allegations made in the report, Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith resigned as the chairman of Kerala Chalachitra Academy. In a similar case, senior Malayalam actor Siddique stepped down from the post of General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) amid the sexual harassment allegations against him.