FIR filed against director Sreekumar Menon for alleged sexual harassment of a young artist

Kerala Police has filed a first-look report against director VA Shrikumar Menon based on a complaint from a junior artiste accusing him of sexual harassment. The Hindu was reported on Saturday.

The young artiste claimed that she was sexually harassed by Menon in a hotel room in Kochi in 2020 after he promised her the opportunity to act in an ad, the newspaper said.

The Maradu police registered a complaint against the director after the young artiste submitted a complaint through email. Mathrubhumi reported.

A case has been registered under the section of the Indian Penal Code relating to infliction of assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty.

It was handed over to the Special Investigation Team set up to investigate allegations of sexual abuse against several prominent members of the Malayalam film industry.

The young artist is one of several women from the Malayalam film industry who have made allegations against their male colleagues in recent weeks following the publication of the Justice Hema Committee report.

Earlier this week, actor and Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP M. Mukesh was charged with rape based on a complaint filed by an actor in another case.

Malayalam actor Jayasurya was also booked for allegedly sexually harassing a woman artiste at the state secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram on the sets of the film. By Ingottu Nokkiye in 2008.

Jayasurya was charged under sections of the Indian Penal Code relating to outrage of modesty of women, sexual harassment and words, gestures or acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman.

In another case, actor Siddique booked for allegedly raping a young actor. The actor accused Siddique of raping her in a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016.

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