The National Commission for Women (NCW) has asked the Kerala government to submit unredacted version of Justice K Hema Committee report, which addresses the abuse and harassment faced by female artists in the Malayalam film industry..According to Mathrubhumi, the NCW sent an official letter to the Kerala Chief Secretary seeking the full and unredacted version of the report following a complaint filed by BJP leaders Sandeep Vachaspati and PR Sivashankar.This complaint was filed after the State government released a censored version of the report, omitting critical sections..Justice K Hema Committee was established by the Kerala government in 2017, following a petition by the 'Women in Cinema Collective.' The report has highlighted the issues of abuse and harassment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. After two years of investigation, the committee submitted its findings to the state government in 2019. However, the report was not made public by the government. Later in response to requests from journalists for access to the report, the State Information Commission (SIC) allowed the release of the report with personal information redacted to protect the privacy of witnesses. Despite this, the government delayed its release, and it wasn’t until August 19 this year that the report was made public..Critics including the BJP have alleged that the government is shielding prominent figures implicated in the report including actor-MLA Mukesh, who is accused of rape. Since the release of the report, cases have also been filed against actors Siddique, Edavela Babu and director Ranjith.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has asked the Kerala government to submit unredacted version of Justice K Hema Committee report, which addresses the abuse and harassment faced by female artists in the Malayalam film industry..According to Mathrubhumi, the NCW sent an official letter to the Kerala Chief Secretary seeking the full and unredacted version of the report following a complaint filed by BJP leaders Sandeep Vachaspati and PR Sivashankar.This complaint was filed after the State government released a censored version of the report, omitting critical sections..Justice K Hema Committee was established by the Kerala government in 2017, following a petition by the 'Women in Cinema Collective.' The report has highlighted the issues of abuse and harassment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. After two years of investigation, the committee submitted its findings to the state government in 2019. However, the report was not made public by the government. Later in response to requests from journalists for access to the report, the State Information Commission (SIC) allowed the release of the report with personal information redacted to protect the privacy of witnesses. Despite this, the government delayed its release, and it wasn’t until August 19 this year that the report was made public..Critics including the BJP have alleged that the government is shielding prominent figures implicated in the report including actor-MLA Mukesh, who is accused of rape. Since the release of the report, cases have also been filed against actors Siddique, Edavela Babu and director Ranjith.