The day after filmmaker Ranjith and actor Siddique stepped down from their roles as chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy and general secretary of AMMA, respectively, in the wake of sexual harassment allegations, several Malayalam cinema figures have come forward with their own stories of abuse. Senior actor Geetha Vijayan, artist Minu Muneer, and a junior artist have publicly shared their distressing experiences involving prominent stars such as Jayasurya and Edavela Babu, as well as actor-producers Maniyanpilla Raju and Baburaj. They also cited experiences with filmmakers Thulasidas and V K Prakash.

New Cases Filed Against Malayalam Actors Jayasoorya and Maniyanpilla Raju: 

Two well-known Malayalam actors, Jayasoorya and Maniyanpilla Raju, have been accused of sexual assault, leading to the registration of separate criminal cases. A female actor has made serious allegations against both actors, prompting the filing of FIRs under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This development is part of a wider trend of accusations within the Malayalam film industry.

In Kerala, an FIR was lodged against Maniyanpilla Raju at the Fort Kochi police station. Similarly, Jayasoorya faces similar charges with a case registered by the Cantonment police in Thiruvananthapuram. These cases follow a growing list of allegations against prominent figures in the industry.

The complaints are tied to a series of accusations unveiled in the Justice K Hema Committee report. The report highlighted several instances of harassment and exploitation in the Malayalam film industry. The complainant, who has acted in a few films, also named M Mukesh, a current MLA, Idavela Babu, and several other individuals in her allegations.

In a Facebook post, the actress detailed incidents of abuse she allegedly endured in 2013. She claimed that the abuse she faced from Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju, Idavela Babu, Jayasoorya, and others became intolerable, despite her attempts to continue working.

Recently, a rape case was also filed against M Mukesh, who is a prominent actor and CPI(M) MLA, following similar allegations from the same actress.

Furthermore, actor Sidhique has been booked for allegedly raping an actress in a hotel eight years ago. Sidhique has since resigned from his position as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA).

In response to these allegations, the Kerala government has set up a seven-member special investigation team to thoroughly investigate the claims. The team’s formation comes after the Justice Hema Committee’s report, which brought to light issues of sexual harassment and exploitation within the Malayalam film industry.

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