Kerala police file complaint against actor Siddique for rape and intimidation

Actor Siddique is also accused of illegally detaining and threatening a woman. | Photo credit: PTI

The Thiruvananthapuram Museum Police have filed a First Instance Report (FIR) accusing veteran Malayalam actor and former general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), Siddique, of raping an aspiring actress at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016.

The police also accuse Mr Siddique of illegally detaining the woman and threatening her. The most serious part of the charge provides for arrest and pre-trial detention.

In a statement on Tuesday (27 August 2024), Mr Siddique denied the woman's allegations. His legal team is likely to seek interim bail from the Thiruvananthapuram Chief Magistrate.

The woman was one of numerous survivors who reported on social and mainstream media about their alleged exploitation by Mollywood bigwigs.

Also read: Catalyst for change: On the Hema Committee report and the Malayalam film industry

The recent publication of the 2019 Hema Committee report, which documented numerous cases of sexual exploitation in the industry, opened a Pandora's box of allegations, as several women appeared on mainstream and social media to report the alleged assaults.

The government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising four women IPS officers. Several survivors approached the unit with complaints and cases were registered.

On Monday (26 August 2024), Kochi police arrested former chairman and principal of Kerala Chalachitra Academy Ranjith on charges of assaulting the modesty of a West Bengal-based social activist and actress in a hotel a few years ago. Mr Ranjith denied the allegation and said he would take legal action. Earlier, the sensational “revelation” had cost Mr Ranjith his post at the academy.

Meanwhile, another relatively unknown actress had put the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government on the defensive by accusing the actress and two-time Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] MP from Kollam constituency, Mukesh, of attempting to force her into sexual submission. She filed a police complaint, following which demands were made of the MP's resignation. The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have launched a campaign to demand Mr. Mukesh's resignation.

So far, 17 cases of sexual abuse have been registered at various police stations across the state based on statements made by women in the film industry. Most of them are relatively unknown actresses, make-up artists and aspiring filmmakers. One of the complainants is an aspiring screenwriter. The state police have asked the Station House Officers (SHO) to forward the cases to the SIT.