Hema Committee Report Impact: Kannada Stars Meet CM Siddaramaiah For Sandalwood Sexual Assault Probe

A redacted version of the Hema Committee report is spreading its wings from the Malayalam film industry to Kollywood to now Sandalwood. Seeing the Malayalam actresses coming forward and fighting for their justice, the Kannada film industry took inspiration and visited Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah regarding sexual harassment in the industry.

Kannada actors meet CM Siddaramaiah, seeks probe in sexual harassment in Kannada cinema

On Thursday, Chetan, Neetu Shetty, and Shruthi Hariharan met CM Siddaramaiah at his residence with a letter to urge him to probe into Sandalwood sexual harassment cases. A total of 153 people from the industry, including Kiccha Sudeep and Ramya, wrote a letter to CM urging them to look into the matter. They also requested to appoint a committee led by a retired judge similar to the Hema Committee.

The actors, who are part of Film Industry For Rights & Equality (FIRE), said that more strict and comprehensive measures are needed to curb sexual abuse in the workplace. Kavita Lankesh, leading FIRE has also been pushing for reform in the Kannada industry following the #MeToo movement. “Conduct a thorough investigation into the systematic issues faced by women in KFI, including sexual harassment. Develop and recommend policies to ensure a healthy and equitable work environment for all women in the industry,” the letter read.

Hema Committee report impact on regional industries

Telugu industry is currently urging the state government to release the report submitted two years ago by Voice of Women. On the other hand, Tamil Cinema on Wednesday announced a new committee that will be looking into sexual offence cases, Gender Sensitisation and Internal Complaints Committee (GSICC). According to the resolution, a warning would initially issued to the alleged preparators after which action will follow. If the complaint is found to be true, a recommendation would be made to the producers' association to ban the perpetrators for five years from the film industry.