Malayalam actor-producer Vijay Babu has stepped down from the executive committee of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) in the wake of being charged in a rape case.
AMMA announced that the actor wrote to the organisation stating that he wanted to stay away from the executive committee in view of the allegations levelled against him. “His letter has been discussed and accepted by the committee,” the association added.
Babu was elected late last year as an executive committee member of AMMA for the 2021-2024 term.
The producer has been charged in a sexual assault case based on a complaint filed by a female actor. The survivor, a native of Kozhikode, has alleged that Babu physically abused and sexually exploited her between March 13 and April 14, this year.
A second case was also lodged against Babu after he disclosed the survivor’s name in a Facebook Live session in contravention of the law against revealing the identity of rape victims. Soon after, another woman accused the actor of sexual misconduct in an anonymous post.
The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) had earlier put out a statement demanding that Malayalam film organisations take action against Babu by suspending his membership.
Babu, who absconded shortly after the rape case was filed, is said to be hiding in Dubai in order to avoid arrest. It has been reported that Kerala Police have contacted Interpol to extradite him. Official procedures for this are said to have been launched through the Crime Branch, which is the nodal agency of Interpol in the state.
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Meanwhile, theatre and film actor Maala Parvathi has decided to resign from the Internal Committee (ICC) of the AMMA in the wake of the association’s failure to take action against Babu. “I was happy to be a part of it. It is not just a grievance redressal committee, but has to implement policies to prevent harassment. It also has to recommend actions to be taken. And it is legally binding that the members behave appropriately. Being a committee member is a huge responsibility and it can only be done if the committee is autonomous. But now, I doubt whether I can deliver my responsibilities as per my conscience,” she said, in her resignation letter.