The Special Investigation Team (SIT) handling the sexual assault allegations in the Malayalam film industry is set to act on over 20 critical witness statements from the Hema Committee report. These statements, identified as key evidence, could lead to legal proceedings. The SIT plans to contact most of these witnesses within the next ten days and will file cases by October 3, based on the survivors’ consent to proceed.
The Kerala government has released only a fraction of the Hema Committee report—296 pages out of 3,896—following RTI requests. To trace individuals who haven’t provided full contact details, the SIT will seek assistance from the State Cultural Affairs Department and Hema Committee members. Female officers will review all statements within three days, with a focus on contacting 20 significant witnesses first and the rest in subsequent phases.
Established in 2019 in response to a petition by the Women in Cinema Collective, the Justice Hema Committee was tasked with investigating the issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, following the 2017 actor assault case.
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