Kerala: Kerala Youth and Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian on Saturday said action will be “assured” if allegations of inappropriate behaviour against an actress by director and Kerala State Chalachitra Academy director Ranjith are proven.
“The government will not protect anyone who makes the mistake. Action will be taken if the allegations against the Academy President Ranjith are proven,” he wrote on Facebook.
Earlier, filmmaker Biju had demanded Ranjith’s removal from the post of president of Chalachitra Academy.
In his Facebook post, the filmmaker said, “Over the past three years, several allegations have been levelled against the president of the Kerala state Chalachitra Academy. There were complaints that the president directly influenced the jury members to give awards to certain people and deny them to some films. This was openly stated by director Vinayan and two other jury members.”
“Similarly, there were complaints about the selection of films for IFFK (International Film Festival of Kerala), where several filmmakers submitted digital evidence alleging that films were selected without being seen,” said filmmaker Biju.
“The president also stirred controversy by comparing audience members to dogs during the closing ceremony of the film festival. Furthermore, during the last film festival, this same president made defamatory remarks in public media against me and other film professionals,” the message continued.
“The General Council members of Chalachitra Academy have themselves issued public statements calling for the removal of the president. While the Culture Minister has made statements saying that these matters will be investigated and explanations sought, no action has been taken so far,” filmmaker Biju wrote on the social media platform.
Referring to the controversy over the Hema Committee report, the filmmaker said in his post, “Now, following the Hema Committee report, a revelation by an actress against the Academy President has also surfaced. If there is any sense of morality left, the President should be removed immediately. A public accusation of sexual harassment against someone in a position of responsibility cannot be taken lightly. The Culture Minister may consider this person a legend – that is his personal liberty – but when someone is accused of inappropriate behaviour towards women, he is no longer fit to hold the post of Academy President, even for a moment.”
He further added, “If Ranjith has any doubts about my relevance in this matter, let me clarify that I have already written a lengthy note on this issue. I will not repeat it now. I will just make one relevant point: the salary he receives, the money for his car and the rent for his house come from taxpayers like me. As a taxpayer citizen of the state, I am using my relevance to say that in light of these allegations, the government must immediately remove the President.”
“Given the government’s silence on the various allegations against the President and the secrecy surrounding the Hema Committee report, I know that there is little chance of the President resigning voluntarily or being removed from office. However, I must express my dismay that the State of Kerala has to bear the burden of entrusting such disgraceful individuals with positions of responsibility.”
Meanwhile, the Youth Congress has filed a complaint demanding an inquiry into the Academy’s chairman Ranjith.
The complaint has been lodged with the Director General of Police (DGP) of Kerala demanding an inquiry against the president of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.
Youth Congress vice president Abin Varkey filed the complaint, urging an investigation in light of recent revelations made by a Bengali actress.
The complaint calls for a thorough investigation into Ranjith’s actions, stressing the need for accountability.
This complaint follows an earlier demand by the Youth Congress for action based on the findings of the Justice Hema Committee report, which highlighted problems within the Malayalam film industry.
Last week, a redacted version of the Justice Hema Committee report was made public, revealing several cases of sexual harassment of actresses in the Malayalam film industry.
In the Hema Committee report, Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan said that the Kerala Culture Minister should tender his resignation.
“Kerala Culture Minister Saji Cherian is trying to avoid an inquiry into the Hema Committee’s recommendations and revelations. He has been trying to make some changes in the report… He is now violating his oath and trying to protect all the culprits in this case. That is why he has to resign,” Satheesan said.
“The opposition UDF is demanding his resignation… The government knows that a series of crimes have been committed. Despite knowing this, the government is not taking any action. It is not prepared to form an investigation team. We demand that the government form an investigation team…” he said.
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