Malayalam actor Maala Parvathy on Monday resigned from the internal complaints committee (ICC) of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) protesting against the organisation’s refusal to take action against producer Vijay Babu who is facing rape charges.
Speaking to newsmen in the state capital, Parvathy said the AMMA’s statement said Babu voluntarily opted out of the organisation in view of allegations and it doesn’t seem to be a disciplinary action. “As a member of the ICC, I cannot accept this position. So, I tendered my resignation from the committee,” she said, adding that she expected strict action against Babu.
But AMMA vice president Maniyanpillai Raju said if a member opted out of the organisation in view of charges against him it cannot suspend him further. He said suspension procedure requires due explanation and hearing of the person concerned.
He said Babu had given a letter to AMMA saying he wants to stay away from the executive committee in the light of allegations and he did not want to drag the organisation into the incident.
In the 2017 actor assault case also there were allegations against the AMMA that it was soft towards accused actor Dileep. Later many women artists resigned from it and formed a new outfit, Women in Cinema Collective. Later, the Kerala high court had ordered all film production houses and other units to set up internal complaints committees to address issues of women on a plea filed by the WCC.
{{/usCountry}}In the 2017 actor assault case also there were allegations against the AMMA that it was soft towards accused actor Dileep. Later many women artists resigned from it and formed a new outfit, Women in Cinema Collective. Later, the Kerala high court had ordered all film production houses and other units to set up internal complaints committees to address issues of women on a plea filed by the WCC.
{{/usCountry}}Police had registered two cases against Babu last week after an actor filed a rape complaint against him on April 22. Later, he slipped out of the country and police issued a lookout notice against him. He also moved an anticipatory bail in the high court.
Babu on Monday sent a communiqué to police, saying he went to Dubai for business purposes and needs two-week time to appear before them. But police rejected his demand and asked him to surrender at the earliest.
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women sent a letter to the state chief secretary to share findings of the Justice Hema Commission immediately. After the actor assault case, the state government had constituted a three-member committee under Justice Hema to study women’s issues in the cinema sector and it submitted its report last year. But the committee’s findings were not made public due to its “explosive nature” forcing the government to sit over it.