The Hema Committee report is being submitted to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan by the panel members on December 31, 2019. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The State Information Commission (SIC) in Kerala on Saturday (December 7, 2024) postponed the decision to release redacted excerpts of the 2017 Hema Committee report, which revealed systemic sexual exploitation, workplace harassment and gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry. Was described in detail. ,
A last-minute complaint from an individual against releasing redacted portions of the sensitive report prevented the SIC from taking a final decision on the matter.
Several Right to Information (RTI) activists had approached the SIC and accused the Kerala government of allegedly being “overzealous” in censoring essential parts of the damaging report to protect “high-profile and influential wrongdoers”. Was accused of showing.
He said the SIC had asked the government to blue-pencil 29 paragraphs regarding the identification of victims and alleged violators, citing privacy issues and future legal implications.
However, RTI activists alleged that the government violated SIC instructions and arbitrarily removed 130 articles without assigning any reason. SIC had also reprimanded the officers for taking steps beyond the brief.
The “delayed” publication of the Hema Committee report gave rise to controversial allegations of “misogyny” in the film industry. This prompted many people, including aspiring actors, junior artistes and artistes from other states, to narrate their “traumatic experiences” on traditional and social media.
The “revelations” sparked a political controversy, with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of lying around Hema. Tried to do. Report of the committee to save influential personalities in Malayalam film industry for seven years.
UDF and BJP workers targeted Culture Minister Saji Cherian and AK Balan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). [CPI(M)] Member of the Central Committee, for ignoring the Hema Committee report and not initiating prosecution as per law.
Leader of the opposition VD Satheesan termed CPI(M)’s advocacy of women’s rights based on the universal principle of gender equality as “a sham”. Opposition activists staged a street protest and burnt an effigy of Mr Cherian.
The government tried to defend itself by saying that the Hema Committee is not a judicial commission but only a forum of investigation. Therefore, the government could not present the report in the Kerala Assembly or initiate further action.
Nevertheless, under intense pressure from civil society and the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), an organization advocating workplace safety and women’s rights in the Malayalam film industry, the government decided to initiate a special investigation involving female IPS officers. Formed investigation team (SIT). Based on the statements of those who testified before the Hema Committee.
Based on the statements of the victims, the SIT has so far registered a case against several actors including an MLA on rape charges. Due to this controversy, film director and actor Ranjit also had to resign from the post of President of the State Film Academy.
published – December 07, 2024 01:03 PM IST
