Malayalam actors Jayasurya, Mukesh booked under non-bailable charges over alleged sexual assault

Actors Jayasurya and Mukesh have been charged with sexual assault following a complaint by a female artist. The development comes after the release of the Hema Committee report that highlighted the exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry.

Kochi: Actors Jayasurya and Mukesh face sexual assault charges following a complaint by a female artist in the Malayalam film industry. The Maradu police in Kochi have filed a non-bailable case against MLA Mukesh, while the Cantonment police have charged Jayasurya with non-bailable offenses, including Section IPC 354 (outraging the modesty of women), 354 A (sexual harassment), and 509 (insulting a woman's modesty).

According to the First Information Report (FIR), actor Jayasurya allegedly sexually assaulted a female colleague during the filming of a movie at the Kerala Secretariat.

The Maradu police registered a case against Mukesh, who is also a CPM MLA, based on the complaint that the actress was assaulted by offering her membership in AMMA and a chance in the film. The MLA is booked under IPC sections 354 (outraging modesty of women), 509 and 454 (trespassing).

The complainant raised sexual assault allegations against seven people- Mukesh, Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju, Edavela Babu, Adv Chandrasekharan, production controllers Vichu and Noble. Maradu police also registered a case against Adv V S Chandrasekharan. 

On Wednesday, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) took the complainant's statement at her apartment in Kochi. DIG Ajitha Beegum and AIG G Poonkuzhali questioned her for approximately 10 hours. Subsequently, the Cantonment police filed a case against Jayasurya. With the SIT now officially documenting complaints and statements, more women are stepping forward with alarming accounts of sexual abuse within the Malayalam film industry.