Hema Committee report: Congress warns Kerala govt of street protests unless it acts on report findings

Hema Committee report: UDF warns Kerala government of street agitations over sexual exploitation in Malayalam film industry, demands action on findings.

Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition on Wednesday (August 21, 2024) warned the Kerala government of aggressive street agitations if the administration “continued to callously disregard” the damning findings of the K. Hema Committee, which catalogued scores of instances of sexual exploitation and gender discrimination in the Malayalam film industry.

Speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan condemned the government for “forsaking its constitutional obligation of upholding the law by bringing the wrongdoers to book.”

He said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had sat on the incriminating report for nearly five years. The government gave short shrift to the harrowing testimonies of scores of women artistes and technicians who braved heavy personal and professional odds to depose before the committee.

Mr. Satheesan said the distressing statements ran into hundreds of pages. Many had submitted digital evidence of their ordeals in the entertainment industry. However, the government chose to look the other way to shield influential and moneyed cabals that supposedly controlled the cinema and serial industry.

“Now, Mr. Vijayan wants the aggrieved women to relive their ordeal in public. The government had promised action only if any one of the persons who deposed before the committee preferred a police complaint. At the same time, the administration remained mum on the heap of evidence at its doorstep”, Mr. Satheesan said.

Mr. Satheesan accused Mr. Vijayan of lying to the public by falsely stating that the Hema Committee had cautioned the government against publicising the report or initiating legal action based on its findings. 

Mr. Satheesan said a close reading of communications between the government and the committee showed otherwise. “The committee had advised the government to protect the identity of the persons who deposed before the panel and to follow the guidelines set by the Supreme Court in the Visakha and others v. State of Rajasthan case in 1997 regarding sexual harassment at workplace. It did not forbid the government from acting on its findings. The administration precluded itself from initiating prosecution to save the exploiters”, he said.