Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], November 22 : An actress-cum-complainant in the sexual harassment case against seven individuals, including Malayalam film actors Mukesh M and Jayasuriya, has announced that she is withdrawing her complaints.
The actress said that she will send an e-mail to authorities including the Director-General of Police (DGP) investigating the matter. She cited a lack of support from the government as the reason for stepping back from the case.
This comes after a case was filed against the actress under the POSCO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act on a complaint made by one of her relatives who alleged the actress misused her and took her to some place offering roles in movies. However, the actress has claimed innocence and said that the POSCO case against her was false and she failed to receive support from the government to prove the same.
The actress had accused actors Mukesh M, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Idavela Babu of both verbal and physical abuse during their collaborations on film projects. The Justice Hema Committee report highlighted the sexual harassment allegations faced by some members of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) executive committee.
Earlier in August, the Kerala Police registered an FIR against actor and Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M) MLA from Kollam, Mukesh M. "FIR has been registered against actor Mukesh, CPI (M) MLA from Kollam constituency. The FIR was registered on the basis of the complaint of an actress," Kerala Police told ANI.
The police also added that another FIR has been registered against Actor Jayasurya on the complaint of the same actress, under section 354 which deals with intent to outrage modesty. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) had taken the statement of the actress.
Speaking to ANI, the actress detailed her experiences, alleging a range of misconduct. "Once, as I was coming out from the toilet, Jayasurya hugged me from behind and even kissed me forcefully... After that, Idavela Babu expressed his interest in a sexual relationship with me," she claimed.