Youth Congress lodges formal complaint with police against director Ranjith

Wayanad/Thiruvananthapuram: In the wake of a Bengali actor accusing eminent Malayalam film director and chairman of the state-run Kerala Chalachitra Academy, Ranjith, of misbehaving with her, the Congress party's youth wing lodged a formal complaint with the police against him.

Abin Varkey, the state vice-president of the Youth Congress, also lodged a formal complaint with the police chief demanding action against the film director.

Thereafter, during the day, Youth Congress activists holding flags of their organisation protested outside a resort in Meppadi in Wayanad district where Ranjith was staying.

Youth Congress activists also held a protest march to the official residence of the state Culture Minister Saji Cherian in the state capital, demanding his resignation.

They also burnt an effigy of the minister after their protest march was blocked by police barriers.

Cherian, earlier in the day, had said that action would be taken against Ranjith if the allegations against the director by the Bengali actor were proved, prompting the protests against the minister.

"The allegation raised by the actress and the reply given by Ranjith are in front of us. If she has a complaint, let her come here and lodge a complaint. Then we will take action in accordance with the law," he said.

Protests were also held by UDF ally Kerala Congress Democratic party workers outside the office of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) in Kochi seeking justice for the victims in the Justice Hema Committee report.

Meanwhile, veteran Malayalam actor Urvashi told reporters that AMMA should take a strong stand with regard to the issues women were facing in the industry.

She said that when many women in the industry dared to state the problems faced by them before the committee, their courage should be respected and immediate and effective action should be taken based on that.

AMMA general secretary Sidhique on Friday had said that the association welcomes the findings and recommendations in the Justice Hema Committee report and was in favour of implementing them.

At the same time, he also said that the changes to be brought in the industry have to be done by the state government and AMMA will cooperate with that.

She was also critical of the state government for saying that the victims in the report have to make a complaint before any police action can be taken against their alleged perpetrators, saying that the panel's findings were also a document.

The actor, who recently won her sixth Kerala State Film Award for the best female actor for her role in the Malayalam film 'Ullozhukku', said she won't say she has not faced bad looks from men in the industry.

"It would be a lie if I said that. But, I had people to look after me, stand up for me," she told reporters in Chennai.

The Hema Committee report, a redacted version of which was made public earlier this week, has recorded explosive accounts of harassment, exploitation and ill-treatment of female professionals in the film industry and alleged that a "criminal gang" is controlling the industry where unyielding women are squeezed out.