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Following the resignation of several core members of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) from the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) on Wednesday, the Kerala Women’s Commission chairperson, MC Josephine, lashed out at AMMA and its president, Mohanlal over the reinstatement of actor Dileep, an accused in the rape and abduction case of an actor.
“It was not a good decision by AMMA to reinstate actor Dileep, who is an accused in the abduction and rape case of an actor...Mohanlal, being a colonel, has a social responsibility towards the society,” said Josephine.
Josephine also urged that Manju Warrier, one of the first people to talk about a conspiracy in the case, should also speak up on this decision to reinstating Dileep back into AMMA.
Former Kerala Chief Minister, VS Achuthanandan, has also lent his support to the four members who quit AMMA.
“It is a bold move by the four women to resign from AMMA. They have resigned after openly admitting that the association is quite anti-woman. Such associations that give scant regard to the rights of its members will not serve any purpose,” he added.
Four women members of the WCC resigned from AMMA on Wednesday, following the latter’s decision to welcome rape-accused Dileep back into their fold.
The first to resign from the film body was the survivor who was brutally assaulted in February 2017.
In a personal note, the survivor said, "Prior to this, this actor has snatched away opportunities of acting from me. When I had complained at that time, AMMA did not act seriously on my complaint. And when such a terrible incident happened, an organisation, that I am also a part of, tried to protect the man who has been accused of the crime. Realising that there is no purpose in being a part of such an organisation, I hereby resign."
The WCC, which was formed soon after the incident, has several prominent women from the film industry as members. The others who stepped down from AMMA are actors Rima Kallingal, Remya Nambeeshan and director Geetu Mohandas.