Thiruvananthapuram: The Special Investigation Team (SIT), looking into the sexual assault revelations made by women in the Malayalam film industry, has so far identified over 20 witness statements, documented in the Hema Committee report, of significant importance. These statements could potentially lead to legal action.
The first phase of witness examination is expected to conclude by September 30, and cases are likely to be filed before the next High Court hearing on October 3. The SIT has also planned to contact most witnesses within the next ten days, and cases will be registered based on the survivors' consent.
The Kerala government has only provided 296 pages out of the 3,896-page Hema committee report to the RTI applicants. The complete report, containing more detailed witness statements and evidence, had been divided among the five members of the investigation team - IG Sparjan Kumar, DIG Ajitha Beegum, SPs G Poonkuzhali, Merin Joseph, and Aishwarya Dongre - to read and analyse. However, Crime Branch Chief H Venkitesh on Wednesday directed the team to review the entire report within three days.
The cases of immediate concern will be prioritised in the early stages of the investigation, while the remaining witnesses will be addressed in a subsequent phase. For survivors whose names and addresses are missing from the report, the SIT plans to seek assistance either from the Hema Committee or from the State Cultural Affairs Department.
The Kerala government constituted the Justice Hema Committee in 2019 to analyse the issues faced by women in the Malayalam cinema industry following a petition by the Women in Cinema Collective in response to the 2017 actor assault case.
