Hema Committee report: WCC members demand Kerala CM to take big measures, ‘details should be..’

The day following the Kerala High Court’s reprimand of the state government for failing to address the sexual assault allegations highlighted within the Hema Committee report, the Women folk in Cinema Collective—an organisation representing women within the Malayalam film industry had a meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. On Wednesday morning, WCC representatives, including actors Revathy and Rima Kallingal, editor Beena Paul, and director Deedi Damodaran, arrived at the Chief Minister’s place of business for this important discussion.

WCC members meet Kerala Chief Minister

In an interview with Manorama News, Revathy conveyed that the Women folk in Cinema Collective (WCC) voiced their concerns about the protection of females who had provided testimony to the Hema Committee, which investigated issues of gender inequality and crimes against women within the Malayalam film industry. Talking to the media portal the veteran actress said, “We requested the CM to take action for the privacy and security of the girls who appeared prior to the committee. Small print of these women should now not be made public. We approached the CM as we were in point of fact worried about their safety (sic).”

Manorama News reported that the Chief Minister assured the WCC that their requests may perhaps be taken into consideration. Rima Kallingal told the media that their goal was to unite all parties involved within the industry. Alternatively, she and other WCC members were hesitant to reveal further important points about their discussion with the Chief Minister. Reports also indicate that the WCC briefed the CM on their position regarding film policy.

A week ago, Rima Kallingal, a founding member of the Women folk in Cinema Collective (WCC), alleged in a media interview that there are efforts to undermine the association’s credibility. She emphasized that the WCC is committed to steering discussions related to the Hema Committee report within the fitting direction. Additionally, Kallingal discussed the WCC’s intentions to fulfill with the Chief Minister to advocate for further actions in line with the report.

On Tuesday, the Kerala High Court sharply criticized the state government for neglecting the intense allegations outlined within the Hema Committee report. The court ordered that the total report be submitted to the Special Investigation Team (SIT). A special bench, consisting of Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice C.S. Sudha, noted that the federal government received the report over four years ago and will deserve to have acted promptly. They directed that the total report be handed over to the SIT for necessary legal action.

The bench expressed concern over the state’s “alarmingly lethargic” approach, declaring, “In spite of receiving the Justice Hema Committee report on December 31, 2019, the state government took no action for greater than four years. Even now, litigation was required to prompt the state into taking action, and that too, handiest touching on one in all the a high-quality deal of issues highlighted by the committee.”