THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Director Ranjith, facing sexual allegations, has resigned from the post of chairman of the Chalachitra Academy. Resignation letter has been handed over to Govt. The members of the Chalachitra Academy were informed that he will resign today or tomorrow. His resignation is due to sexual allegations by Bengali actress Srilekha Mitra.

The actress who is also an activist and CPM ally had opened up about the ordeal she faced from Ranjith during the audition of the movie 'Paleri Manikyam' in 2009. She was called for audition after seeing her performance in 'Akale'. The audition was held at a hotel in Kochi.

'I met director Ranjith in the morning and did the photoshoot later. Had a bad experience while talking about salary, character etc. in the evening. He came closer and touched my bangles first. When he stroked my hair and touched my neck, I got out of the room, called a taxi and went to the hotel. I didn't sleep at night because I was afraid that he would break into the hotel room.

I asked for a return flight ticket but did not get it. I returned to Bengal the next day at her own expense. I shared the incident with Documentary director Joshi Joseph. I did not get a chance in Malayalam cinema. I did not come to Kerala either,' said Srilekha. Srilekha also said that those who faced violence should reveal the names of the juveniles.

Ranjith responded that he did not misbehave with the actress. Srilekha Mitra had come for the audition. Ranjith gave the explanation that she was not considered because she was not suitable for the character.

The allegation against Ranjith put a lot of pressure on the state government. Women leaders of the Left Front asked Ranjith to step down. With this, Culture Minister Saji Cherian had stated that the government will not protect anyone who commits a mistake. The minister also mentioned that action will be taken if the allegation is proved.