Kerala rape case: In yet another horrific incident, a 70-year-old woman was allegedly raped during an attempted robbery at her home in Kerala's Alappuzha district on Saturday night, according to the police. A 29-year-old man, Kanakakunnu resident Dhanesh, was arrested on Sunday in connection with the crime.
Police said that the accused assaulted the woman at her residence in Kayamkulam after throwing chilli powder on her on Saturday night. They added that he targeted her after learning that she was living alone.
The police said that the perpetrator stole approximately seven sovereigns of gold from the woman and was caught while attempting to sell the stolen jewelry. “He left after locking the door from outside. He also took her mobile phone. She was unable to contact others. The neighbours found her this morning and took her to the hospital and informed us,” police said.
Kerala govt forms team to probe atrocities faced by women in movie industry
In response to numerous women actors sharing their distressing experiences of sexual assault in the film industry, the Kerala government has established a special team to investigate these incidents. On Sunday, following a high-level meeting led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, a seven-member team was formed. This team will be led by IG Sparjan Kumar and includes four senior women IPS officers from the state.
The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) stated that Crime Branch ADGP H Venkatesh will oversee the team's operations. The team comprises DIG S Ajeetha Begum, Crime Branch HQ SP Merin Joseph, Coastal Police AIG Poonkuzhali, Kerala Police Academy Assistant Director Aishwarya Dongre, AIG Ajith V., and Crime Branch SP S. Madhusoodhan.
Hema Committee report
The formation of this team follows the revelations of harassment and exploitation in the Malayalam film industry, highlighted in the Justice Hema Committee's report, which was established after the 2017 actress assault case.
In the wake of these findings, the Malayalam film industry saw two significant resignations: Director Ranjith resigned as chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy, and actor Siddique stepped down as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (A.M.M.A).
(With PTI inputs)
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