Hema Committee Exposé: Fresh FIR Filed Against Actor Jayasurya In Sexual Assault Case

Hema Committee Exposé: Ever since the 235-page report was made public, Malayalam actors and filmmakers have been under scrutiny. The report exposes the working conditions of female artists in the Malayalam film industry and details shocking accounts of harassment, exploitation, and ill-treatment of women professionals. Most recently, the Kerala police has filed an FIR against actor Jayasurya. This comes after an actress has alleged sexual abuse by the actor.

Jayasurya faces legal trouble in sexual assault case

Another FIR has been registered against actor Jayasurya following the complaint of an actress. Kerala Police informed ANI, "Second FIR registered against actor Jayasurya under 354, 354A(A1)(I) 354D IPC. The case was registered after the complainant's statement was recorded. FIR has been registered in Thiruvananthapuram and will be transferred to Thodupuzha Police Station."

As per OnManorama, a female actor from Thiruvananthapuram had filed a complaint against the actor. She has accused him of sexually abusing her at a location of the Thodupuzha film set. The publication also stated that a team led by Kerala Police Academy Assistant Director Aishwarya Dongre IPS will investigate the case. The second FIR comes after the police had already slapped a non-bailable charge against the actor on August 29 acting on a complaint from a Kochi-based actress. She alleged that the actor had assaulted her during the shoot of the film Vellam. Jayasurya is yet to respond to the allegations.

#MeToo victims share their ordeal

In a Facebook post, the woman actor had 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, in her Facebook post, alleged.
 

A rape case was registered last night against prominent Malayalam actor and ruling CPI(M) MLA Mukesh following the female actor's allegation that he sexually assaulted her years ago. The Justice Hema Committee was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case, and its report revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry. Amidst allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation cropping up against several actors and directors, the state government on August 25 announced the establishment of a seven-member special investigation team to probe them. Subsequently, more complaints surfaced.
(With inputs from agencies)