Fefka suspends Ranjith following sexual assault allegations

Kochi: Film Employees Federation of Kerala (Fefka) suspended filmmaker Ranjith, accused of sexual assault, from the organisation's activities pending investigation, association general secretary B Unnikrishnan said on Wednesday. He added that the organisation is viewing the sexual assault allegations against the director with ‘utmost seriousness'."Our policy is consistent. In cases of complaints of this nature, the member is kept away from the organisation's official functions until their innocence is proven or a final decision is made by the court," Unnikrishnan told reporters. Instructions to initiate the process have already been issued to both writers' union and directors' union, the two primary bodies to which Ranjith belongs. However, Unnikrishnan added that no formal complaint was filed with the internal complaints committee (ICC) regarding the incident. Police arrested Ranjith on Tuesday night following a complaint by a woman actor, who alleged that the director attempted to sexually assault her inside a caravan at a shooting location recently. Unnikrishnan added that the quick action taken by police and the subsequent response from Fefka are indicative of the shifting culture within Malayalam film industry, particularly following the Hema Committee report and the state's new film policy. He concluded that while the federation is concerned about the ‘repetition of such allegations,' they will let the law take its course. Ranjith has been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody and is currently lodged in Ernakulam sub-jail. His legal team is expected to argue that the charges are fabricated, but Fefka maintained that workplace safety remains their priority. Meanwhile, the investigation team has dismissed Ranjith's claims of ignorance regarding the complaint. Police are planning to record detailed statements from ICC members and other crew members who were present at the location during the time of the alleged incident.