Actor Siddique resigns from Malaysian film artistes’ body over sexual assault allegations

Noted actor Siddique on Sunday resigned as the general secretary of the Malayalam Cine Artists Association following allegations of sexual assault levelled by an actress on August 24. Speaking to the media, the noted actor said that he had submitted his resignation letter to the organisation’s president Mohanlal. “Yes. I have submitted my official resignation to the organisation’s president Mohanlal. Since there were allegations against me, I have decided not to continue in the post and have resigned,” Siddique said. An actress had on Saturday alleged that Siddique had sexually abused her after inviting her for a talk about a film. The allegations came in the wake of the uproar in the Malayalam film industry following the release of the Hema Justice Committee report, which pointed out numerous incidents of sexual abuse in the field. The report has revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry, prompting calls for action against the culprits. Meanwhile, several AMMA members welcomed the veteran actor’s decision to step down from the group’s top post in the wake of the allegations. Meanwhile, AMMA vice-president Jayan Cherthala said it was not appropriate for Siddique to continue in office even after such serious allegations surfaced against him. Well-known actor Anoop Chandran said he sent an email to AMMA president Mohanlal in the morning detailing the need to request Siddique’s resignation from the post. “Continuity of a person facing serious allegations in office is actually an insult to the entire organisation. That is why I said in the email that if Siddique was not willing to step down on his own, the executive committee should be prepared to oust him,” Chandran told the media. Actress Mala Parvathy said Siddique’s decision to step down was “morally and ethically correct”. “The actor’s resignation is inevitable… it is an appropriate decision. If that woman victim showed the courage to come forward before the society and publicly detailed the trauma she suffered, we should understand the intensity of the pain and humiliation she had suffered,” Parvathy said.