Malayalam actor alleges molestation at mall; police launch probe

In a shocking revelation made through an Instagram post a popular Malayalam actor has said she experienced sexual misconduct during a film promotion event at a mall in this north Kerala district The state womens panel strongly condemned the incident and police launched an immediate probe into the matterExpressing her anguish and concern over the sexual frustration of people she said another woman actor also had a similar experience during the event held late on Tuesday night at the busy mall A purported video of the incident went viral on social media platforms soon which were also aired by local TV channelsKozhikode is a place I loved a lot But tonight while returning after a programme a person from the crowd grabbed me It disgusts me to say where Are people around us so frustrated We had been to several places as part of the promotion But I never had such a pathetic experience anywhere else My colleague also had a similar experience She reactedbut I couldnt in that situation as I was dumbstruck for a moment the actor said in the social media postThe other actress who had been subjected to misbehaviour from the crowd also shared the harrowing experience through her Instagram pageShe said the mall was overcrowded and security personnel were struggling to manage the rush A person had misbehaved with one of her costars but she could not reactAlso Read Mumbai Woman lawyer alleges sexual harassment on train accuses police of insensitive behaviourLater I also encountered a similar experience but I reacted I wish that no one has to face this kind of unwanted trauma in their life she said and wanted the guilty to be punishedAs the actors social media posts triggered a row the Kerala State Womens Commission chief P Sathidevi condemned the incident and urged the police to intervene into the matter and nab the culprits at the earliestIncidents of women being attacked in the midst of crowd are happening continuously and the society should see the instances with utmost caution she saidA senior police official told PTI the statement of one of the victims was recorded and that of the other person who is in Kochi now would be recorded soon A woman constable was already deployed for the sameBased on the statements FIR will be launched and the IPC sections can be known only after that A producer has sent a complaint via email but it was a bit vague So we decided to record the victims statements at the earliest to make the case stronger he saidEfforts to identify and trace the culprits based on the CCTV visuals were also on sources addedA promotion event held at the same mall a month ago had to be cut short as the crowd assembled there to witness their favourite actor went out of controlAlso Read Actor Sreenath Bhasi taken into police custody for questioning in verbal abuse caseThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever