'Such an invasion of privacy is completely unjustified, we strongly request you to take immediate action in this regard'

The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) has addressed an open letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, expressing deep concern over a private television channel airing sensitive statements from the Hema Committee report. The WCC alleges that the release of these private statements, which were meant to remain confidential, constitutes a severe invasion of privacy.

The Hema Committee was originally appointed by the Kerala government to investigate issues of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the film industry. However, recent developments have seen private testimonies from women in the industry being broadcast on 'Reporter' channel, despite a court order barring their release.

The letter reads...

Dear Hon'ble Chief Minister,

Now that the statements given by the women working in films before the Hema Committee appointed by you have been brought under the purview of the Special Investigation Team, there is a situation where they are being dragged into irresponsible media trials through the Reporter channel, even in violation of the court order.

We met you personally to share this concern, but the most private statements, which the Hema Committee, the government, and the court decided not to release out of respect for the privacy of the molested, are now being broadcast by the Reporter channel. This makes the actions of at least some who are in possession of the committee report questionable. The information being released is such that the outside world can identify who the informants are.

This act, under the guise of victim support, is making the lives of these women miserable and extremely stressful. Such an invasion of privacy is completely unjustified.

We strongly request you to take immediate action in this regard and stop this violation of privacy through the media.

Faithfully,

WCC