Probe initiated as Malayalam actresses allege sexual assault at a Kozhikode mall

Kozhikode: A well-known Malayalam actress made an astonishing admission via an Instagram post, claiming that she was the victim of sexual assault at a movie promotion event held at a mall in this district of north Kerala.

The post stated that another actress had had a similar experience during the event held late on Tuesday night at the packed mall, and she expressed her agony and concern over the "sexual frustration" of the people.

A purported video of the incident went viral on social media platforms soon and the local TV channels aired the same.

"Kozhikode is a place I loved a lot. But, tonight while returning after a programme, a person from the crowd grabbed me. It disgusts me to say where! Are people around us so frustrated? We had been to several places as part of the promotion. But, I never had such a pathetic experience anywhere else. My colleague also had a similar experience. She reacted…but I couldn't in that situation as I was dumbstruck for a moment…," the actress said in last night's post, PTI reported.

The other actress, who had been subjected to misbehaviour from the crowd, also shared the harrowing experience through her Instagram page.

She said the mall was overcrowded and security personnel were struggling to manage the rush. A person had misbehaved with one of her co-stars but she could not react, the actress said.

"Later, I also encountered a similar experience but I reacted… I wish that no one has to face this kind of unwanted trauma in their life…," she said and wanted the guilty to be punished.

Police said an investigation has been launched and efforts are on to identify and trace the culprits.

A promotion event held at the same mall a month ago had to be cut short as the crowd assembled there to witness their favourite actor went out of control.