FIR filed against Ranjith after complaint by actor Sreelekha Mitra
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Thiruvananthapuram: After Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra filed a police complaint against filmmaker Ranjith Balakrishnan for allegedly sexually harassing her, a case is registered against him on Monday, The News Minute reported.
Following the publication of Hema Committee report, Sreelekha Mitra raised the allegation last week that Ranjith sexually harassed her in 2009 when she came to Kerala for discussing a movie project.
Hema Committee report brought to fore alleged practices of casting couch, discrepancies in pay between male and female artists, among others.
Following, Mitra’s allegations, Ranjith stepped down as chairperson of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy.
The Bengali actor in her complaint sent via email to Kochi Commissioner Of Police said that the alleged harassment had taken place when she visited Kochi in 2009 for a discussion related to Ranjith’s movie, Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha.
‘During the course of discussion, he clutch hold of my hand and later on attempted to spread his hand to other parts of my body with sexual intention. Realizing that his intentions are not the discussion regarding the film and with sexual intent, I had to escape from the flat and returned to the hotel where I was staying. My bitter experience was shared on the next day to a script writer Sri Joshy Joseph. As I was not given the traveling ticket for my return journey, I was compelled to seek the help of Sri Joshy Joseph (sic),’ Sreelekha reportedly wrote.
The actor said she was in Kolkata and unable to ‘to prosecute Sri Ranjith for the offence attracting section 354 & 354 B (sexual assault) of the Indian Penal Code at the time of commission of crime.’
Denying the allegations, Ranjith said he was stepping down as the chairperson of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy in order to protect the image of the government of Kerala.
Following allegation against Ranjith, Kerala’s Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian reportedly said action could not be taken against the reputed filmmaker on “mere allegations”.