Satheesan led the ongoing protest in front of the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, in which he called the Hema Committee report a protection of the accused.

Satheesan led the ongoing protest in front of the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, in which he called the Hema Committee report a protection of the accused.

United Democratic Front chief and Leader of Opposition in Kerala VD Satheesan on Monday led a protest in front of the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, calling the Justice Hema Committee report and alleging protection of the accused in the Vadakara Kaffir screenshots case. Addressing the protest, Satheesan said that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has protected the predators. "The Hema Committee report is essentially a series of sexual crimes. Several sections of the report have been deleted because they contained names of influential people. The Chief Minister has protected the predators. Even dignitaries from the film industry are under the scanner due to the government's action," he said. Earlier on Sunday, Union Minister and BJP national president JP Nadda questioned the Kerala government for delaying justice to victims of sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry after the Hema Committee report and alleged that Communist party leaders were involved in the case.

Last month, an edited version of the Justice Hema Committee report on harassment faced by women in the Malayalam cinema industry was made public. It contains shocking details alleging harassment, exploitation and abuse of women professionals. The 235-page report, published after editing the names of witnesses and accused, said that the Malayalam film industry is controlled by about 10 to 15 male producers, directors and actors who dominate and control the industry. Kerala The report of the three-member panel, headed by a former high court judge and constituted by the state government in 2017, was submitted to the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government in December 2019 but was made public only this month. Following the report, actor Mohanlal supported the Justice Hema Committee report. On 25 August, the Kerala government announced the formation of a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case.