The Kerala Police has issued an arrest warrant against Malayalam actor Siddique in relation to a rape case, reported NDTV. The police have reportedly begun search operations over the alleged sexual assault case. Many prominent actors and directors are in the dock following the 'MeToo' wave that has jolted the Malayalam film industry after the release of the Hema Committee report.
The Kerala High Court dismissed Siddique's bail plea in the rape case reported by a former actress. The victim claimed that the actor raped her at a state-owned hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016.
“I am happy with today's (court) verdict. I looking forward to the things that are ahead. The important thing is that I am dissatisfied with the investigation of SIT. There has to be some confidentiality in the investigation,” the victim told ANI after rejection of bail plea on Tuesday.
“2 days ago some of the things got leaked to the media. It could help the accused. I have given a complaint to DGP pointing out many things. It has affected my trust. This could give them (accused) a platform to destroy the electronic evidence and influence the witnesses,” she added.
The victim, who did not report the incident back then, came forward after the Hema Committee report was released, the report said, citing sources.
According to the complaint lodged against Siddique, the victim claimed that the actor forced her to provide sexual favours to get a role in a Tamil movie. When the victim rebuffed the demands, the actor allegedly raped her.
The actor has, however, denied the allegations against him. He said that the victim had been making false claims since 2019 on social media. The actress even accused him of misbehaving with her at a movie theatre in 2016; however, after the Hema Committee report was released, the victim alleged rape claims too, he added.
The Hema Committee report revealed issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The issues highlighted in the committee report include sexual harassment, exploitation, and related concerns. The committee submitted the report to the Kerala government in December 2019, which was made public on August 19, 2024.
Following the complaint against him, Siddique resigned from the post of General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), where he was recently elected. AMMA was presided over by actor Mohanlal, who resigned after the Hema Committee revelations.
According to reports, the police have filed 11 FIRs against various members of the Malayalam film industry, including directors, actors, and producers, after the Hema Committee report was released. Apart from Siddique, actors such as Jayasurya, Nivin Pauly, Maniyanpilla Raju, Mukesh Madhavan, and Edavela Babu, and directors such as Ranjith and VK Prakash, have been accused of sexual misconduct.
