Kerala #MeToo: Malayalam actors Jayasoorya, Maniyanpilla Raju booked for sexual assault

Multiple FIRs registered against many high-profile Malayalam film personalities following allegations of sexual harassment against directors, actors

Kochi/Thiruvananthapuram: Separate cases have been registered in Kerala against popular Malayalam actors Jayasoorya and Maniyanpilla Raju following an allegation raised by a woman actor that they had sexually assaulted her, police said on Thursday.

A senior police official from Ernakulam said an FIR under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the Fort Kochi police station against Raju. The Cantonment police in Thiruvananthapuram confirmed that a case under the same section was registered against Jayasoorya.

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Multiple FIRs have been registered against many high-profile Malayalam film personalities following allegations of sexual harassment against various directors and actors in the wake of revelations in the Justice K Hema Committee report.

The complainant, who has appeared in a handful of movies, levelled sexual abuse allegations against prominent actors M Mukesh, who is also an MLA, Jayasoorya and Maniyanpilla Raju, as well as small-time actor Idavela Babu, who held a prominent role in the actors’ association.

In a Facebook post, the woman actor said, “I am writing to report a series of incidents of physical and verbal abuse I suffered at the hands of 1. Mukesh 2. Maniyan Pilla Raju 3. Idavela Babu 4. Jayasoorya (Jayasurya) 5. adv Chandrasekaran 6. production controller Noble and Vichu, in the Malayalam film industry.”

“In 2013, I was subjected to physical and verbal abuse by these individuals while working on a project. I tried to cooperate and continue working, but the abuse became unbearable,” the actress, in her Facebook post, alleged.

A rape case was registered on Wednesday night against prominent Malayalam actor and ruling CPI(M) MLA Mukesh following the woman actor’s allegation that he sexually assaulted her years ago.

Reportedly, cases were also registered against the other accused too.