Hema Committee report: Woman IPS officer appointed as nodal officer

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 7 (PTI) The Kerala government on Saturday appointed G Poonguzhali IPS as the nodal officer for the cases registered in connection with the revelations of the Justice Hema Committee report which exposed sexual harassment as rampant in Malayalam film industry.

The nodal officer will act as the immediate contact person for the victims in these cases. The officer will deal with requests of victims for protection from threats and intimidation.

The woman officer Poonguzhali is now serving as the Assistant Inspector General (AIG), Coastal Security. "The Nodal Officer will take appropriate action as and when such requests received from the victims and report the action taken to the City Police Commissioner, Thiruvananthapuram," a police statement said.

The new appointment came in the wake of the disclosure of the Justice Hema Committee report which revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry, prompting calls for action against the guilty.

The Justice Hema Committee was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case.

The complete report was placed before the Kerala High Court which directed that it be handed over to the special investigation team (SIT) that was constituted to probe complaints of sexual abuse in the film industry.

Subsequently, 26 FIRs were registered by the SIT in connection with the revelations in the report. PTI LGK ADB