(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Kerala Police has issued an arrest warrant against Malayalam actor Siddique in relation to the Malayalam cinema #MeToo case, reported NDTV. The police have begun search operations over the alleged sexual assault case.
The High Court dismissed Siddique's bail plea in a rape case reported by a former actress. The victim claimed that the actor raped her at a state-owned hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016.
The victim, who previously denied reporting the incident, came forward after the Hema Committee report was released, the report said, citing sources.
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According to the complaint lodged against Siddique , the victim claimed that the actor forced her to provide sexual favours to get a role in a Tamil movie. When the victim refused to the demands, the actor allegedly raped her.
The actor has however, denied the allegations against him. He said that the victim is making false claims since 2019 on social media. The actress even accused him of misbehaving with her at a movie theatre in 2016; however, after the Hema Committee report was released, the victim alleged rape claims too, he added.
Also Read | Actor Siddique files complaint against Revathy Sampath over harassment claims
The Hema Committee report revealed issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The issues highlighted in the committee report include sexual harassment, exploitation, and related concerns. The committee submitted the report to the Kerala government in December 2019, which was made public on August 19, 2024.
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Following the complaint against him, Siddique resigned from the post of General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), where he was recently elected. AMMA was presided over by actor Mohanlal, who resigned after the Hema Committee revelations.
Also Read | Kerala HC rejects actor Sidhique's anticipatory bail plea in rape case
According to reports, the police have filed 11 FIRs against various members of the Malayalam Film Industry, including directors, actors, and producers, after the Hema Committee was released. Apart from Siddique, various actors such as Jayasurya, Nivin Pauly, Maniyanpilla Raju, Mukesh Madhavan, and Edavela Babu, among directors such as Ranjith and Prakash, have been accused of sexual misconduct.
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