Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday condemned the delay in taking action based on the Hema Commission Report. "It is shocking that our Malayalam film industry is in such a dire state. It is disheartening that women are not safe in the industry. The government has not taken any corrective steps in the past five years. Both the government and the film industry need to take steps to clean up the industry," he said.
Congress MLA and former Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday criticised the state government for sitting on the Hema Commission report for five years, calling it the "major accused" in the case. “Why did the government conceal the serious allegations in the report? Whom were they protecting by withholding these details? Why is Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan not responding,” Chennithala questioned.
KPCC President K Sudhakaran also echoed similar concerns, accusing the government of deliberately delaying the report to protect those implicated. “The state government seems to have shielded several individuals named in the report. The public only became aware of these issues when courageous voices spoke out,” he remarked. Sudhakaran also emphasised that the abuse of women extends beyond the film industry, as they face discrimination in schools, colleges, government offices and factories, among other places. “This is a grave injustice, and every citizen has a responsibility to find a solution.”
BJP leader and former Union Minister V Muraleedharan also criticised the government for its five-year delay in releasing the report. “The government must explain to the people of Kerala why it hesitated for five years before taking action against those named in the Hema Commission report,” he stated.
Congress leader K Muraleedharan added that the names of the accused mentioned in the report should be made public. “The government must act on this matter, rather than merely discussing it,” he urged.
"The action of the government and the chief minister who kept the report in cold storage so far was a criminal offence," Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan told reporters in Kochi on Monday.
