First arrest recorded after Hema Committee report

Kollam: The scathing Hema Committee report, which exposed the sexual harassment that women in the Malayalam film industry experience, led to the first arrest being made by the local police here on Thursday. Director V.K. Prakash was arrested, and the police recorded it.

The director was released on bail soon after, as he had secured anticipatory bail from the Kerala High Court early this month, IANS reported.

On August 29, the Kollam Pallithottam police filed a case against actor-director Prakash under Section 354 (a) (sexual harassment) based on a complaint from a young woman writer.

Soon after the writer filed her complaint, Prakash approached the Kerala High Court which granted him anticipatory bail.

Prakash is a double National Film Award winner and has to his credit successful films like ‘Trivandrum Lodge’ (2012), ‘Nirnayakam’ (2015) ‘Oruthee’ (2022) among others.

The Hema Committee report was released on August 19 with several paragraphs censored.

The Malayalam film industry has been seething after the Hema Committee report was published.

A few former actresses revealed their bad experiences and the police were quick to act.

By now the police have registered 11 FIRs against various film personalities after former actresses revealed to the media how they were exploited.

At present, those who are in the dock include actor-turned-CPI(M) legislator Mukesh Madhavan, Nivin Pauly, Siddique, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, Maniyanpilla Raju, directors Ranjith and Prakash, and production executives Vichu and Noble.

Mukesh, Ranjith, Raju and a few others have already got relief from the courts from being arrested.

Incidentally, this arrest and subsequent release on bail of Prakash comes at a time when the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the Hema Committee report has found that around 20 FIRs can be registered.

The SIT will meet the victims and if they stick to their complaints, then FIRs will be registered.