Malayalam Actors Mukesh and Jayasurya Accused of Sexual and Verbal Assault, FIR Filed

New developments from the Malayalam film industry report that an FIR has been filed against CPI(M) MLA and actor Mukesh, actor Jayasurya, and Edavela Babu following a complaint by an actress. The FIR against Jayasurya has reportedly been registered under Section 354 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to intent to outrage a woman’s modesty. The accused have also been charged with sexual and verbal assault.

According to India Today, the actress recorded her statement with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Wednesday night, a day after accusing them in a Facebook post of verbal and physical abuse.

Meanwhile, Mukesh has called for fair investigation. “In response to the allegations raised against me and other film industry colleagues, I welcome the ongoing investigations. A fair and transparent inquiry is crucial to uncover the truth behind the accusations being discussed in the public domain,” he said in a statement.

This comes hours after it was reported that an FIR has also been filed against Malayalam director Ranjith for allegedly sexually assaulting a Bengali actress. IGP and Commissioner of Police S Syamsundar shared information about the same and stated that further investigation is underway.

“Received a complaint from the victim in the abuse case regarding director Ranjith. A crime in the north police station has been registered under section 354, and the investigation will be as per the mandate to be decided by the special investigation team constituted by the government for the same,” he told ANI.

The cases of sexual assault in the Malayalam film industry are being reported ever since the findings of the Justice Hema Committee Report were made public earlier this month. Several actresses have accused male members of the industry of harassing them. So far, 17 cases have been filed.

In the wake of the same, Mohanlal also recently resigned as the president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists. The actor announced his decision and left everyone shocked. He was the president of the association and had a 17-member executive committee. However, all the members of the executive committee submitted their joint resignation.