Actor Jayasurya denies sexual harassment allegations, calls himself ‘living martyr’ after appearing before SIT – The Week

Mollywood actor Jayasurya has denied the allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him after the release of the Justice Hema committee report. Jayasurya appeared before the Special Investigation Team probing allegations of sexual assault in Malayalam cinema on Tuesday.

Speaking to presspersons after appearing before SIT for questioning, Jayasurya said the allegations were false. “There are two allegations against me and both are false. One of the complainants has said about an incident that allegedly happened during the shooting of the movie ‘Pigman’ in 2013 in Thodupuzha. The shooting of the movie The film was completed in 2011 itself and it was not in Thodupuzha but in Koothatukulam,” said the actor.

He also denied the second complaint against him, where the complainant alleged that Jayasurya invited her to his flat in Thiruvananthapuram during the shooting of a film in 2008. “These false allegations are being made against him. This will only silence the sincere voices,” he said. The actor said he would fight till the end and is a “living martyr”.

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The actor, who was in the US when the allegations came to light, arrived in India on September 19. Earlier, in an open letter, Jayasurya denied the allegations and it has devastated him and his family. “I just hope one realizes that facing a false accusation of harassment is as painful as the harassment itself. A lie always travels faster than the truth, but I believe the truth will prevail,” he had said.

The allegations were leveled against the actor after the Kerala government released the Justice Hema committee report in August. The committee looked into the issues faced by women in Malayalam cinema. The report revealed that women face extreme discrimination in the Malayalam film industry. Based on the allegations, which came to light after the report was published, the Kerala police formed an SIT to investigate them. At the moment, 17 cases have been registered.