The sweeping investigation into the complaints of sexual exploitation and abuse in the Malayalam film industry gathered pace on Wednesday.
The special investigation team (SIT) probing the accusations recorded the statement of the woman artist who had publicly accused veteran actor and former general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, Siddique, of raping her at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram under the pretext of auditioning her for a movie project.
The SIT also pivoted to Kochi, where investigators called on a woman actor who had openly accused four actors and two production controllers of sexually abusing her. She had also accused a politically connected lawyer of attempting to traffic her to a film producer for sex.
Officials said the SIT would seek to strengthen the testimonial evidence provided by the survivors by persuading them to depose in camera in a magistrate court.
However, they said, testimonial evidence alone might not provide the standard of proof required to ensure conviction in belatedly reported sexual abuse cases.
Hence, the SIT might examine schedules of past productions, film set stills, statements of co-actors and technical staff, and recollections of costumes, for one, to validate the testimony of the survivors and also build a timeline to reconstruct the chain of events and circumstances that led to the offence.
Moreover, the statements of chauffeurs and personal staff of the accused persons, several high-profile actors, who often follow a well-planned day by fixing shooting dates in advance, might prove crucial to the case.
The production companies and their auditors might provide evidence of schedules, payments and other financial transactions, including hotel and vehicle rentals.
The police might seek to record such statements as sworn statements for prosecutorial advantage. The SIT will also question co-actors who worked with the suspects in film sets pertinent to the crime.
A senior investigator said such supplementary statements could help the police fortify the testimonies of the survivors and enable the prosecution to assemble a water-tight case against the suspects. He said finding well-validated evidence to strengthen the credibility of the survivor’s story might be the SIT’s goal.
The police have so far adopted a victim-centric investigative approach. Law enforcement seemed acutely mindful that the sexual assault survivors had braved heavy personal and professional odds and risked ostracisation and vicious cyberattacks to come forward, albeit after years. The high-profile and politically sensitive investigation has captivated public attention and dominated the news cycle for days in the State.
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