What Happened to Mollywood? Rising Allegations of Sexual Assault Rock the Malayalam Film Industry

Kochi: Following the recent arrest of actor and MLA Mukesh in a rape case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has summoned Malayalam actor Edavela Babu for questioning in a similar matter. Babu appeared at the coastal police headquarters for interrogation on Wednesday morning.

He is facing serious charges under IPC sections 354 (sexual assault) and 376 (rape) based on a complaint from a female actor based in Kochi. This woman has also filed complaints against several other individuals, including actors Mukesh, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, Advocate VS Chandrasekharan, as well as production controllers Noble and Vichu.

On September 5, the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court granted anticipatory bail to Edavela Babu, leading to the expectation that the SIT may release him after completing the interrogation process.

On Tuesday, the SIT, led by Ernakulam SP G Poonkuzhali, arrested Kollam MLA Mukesh after questioning him at the coastal police headquarters. Following his arrest, Mukesh underwent a medical examination at the Ernakulam Government General Hospital before being released on bail.

This investigation has seen multiple FIRs filed against prominent figures in the Malayalam film industry due to allegations of sexual harassment, which were ignited by findings in the Justice K Hema Committee report. Established by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case, the committee's report brought to light various instances of harassment and exploitation faced by women in the Malayalam cinema sector. In response to these troubling allegations, the state government announced the creation of a seven-member Special Investigation Team on August 25 to look into the claims.

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