Special investigating team with crucial move, to meet all 50 testified in Hema Committee

KOCHI: The special investigation team has taken a new step in the investigation following the Hema Committee report. The team’s move is to take a detailed statement. As part of this, the investigation team will meet the 50 people who gave statements to the Hema Committee. The statements will be taken in four teams and this will be completed in ten days.

As directed by the high court, the government had given the full version of the Hema Committee report to the investigation team. It was heavily criticized for not releasing the full report. Meanwhile, the high court intervened.

The WCC members had met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and informed them that the privacy of those testified before the Hema Committee should be ensured. They raised the demand before the chief minister. The five-member delegation also demanded that privacy should not be violated in the name of a special team's inquiry into sexual exploitation complaints in the film industry. They demanded that women should be provided facilities on location and the recommendations suggested by the Hema Committee should be implemented in the film industry.

The WCC had earlier demanded the implementation of a code of conduct in the Malayalam film industry. The organization is of the stand that a definite contract should be brought for all jobs in films and provisions to prevent sexual assaults should also be made part of the contract. The WCC had earlier informed that it will announce a series of new proposals for the comprehensive reconstruction of the cinema sector. As the first proposal in this series, WCC came forward with the demand for employment contract.