Youth Congress takes out protest march to Innocent’s residence

Irinjalakuda: Youth Congress workers on Thursday took out a march to the residence of actor-MP Innocent to protest against his anti-women remarks.

The protesters shouted slogans holding placards and tried to enter Innocent’s residence before the police stopped them. The workers indulged in mild scuffle with the police personnel deployed in front of the actor’s home here.

Innocent, the president of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), on Wednesday courted controversy by saying that the "casting couch" does not exist in the Malayalam film industry, but "if the woman is bad, maybe they will go to bed".

The 72-year-old MP was responding to reporters when he said, "The Malayalam film industry is clean now and no such thing as casting couch exists in the industry... It is not like the yesteryear. The situation today is such that if there is any bad behaviour towards any women, the media will know immediately," before adding the offensive comment.

Women in Cinema Collective, a newly formed outfit of women in Malayalam film industry, had come out against Innocent’s remarks. WCC in its Facebook post stated that they totally disagree with the remark of the President of AMMA, Innocent, MP, that 'casting couch' practice was a thing of the past.

WCC said, "We strongly dissent with the remark of Innocent that gives an impression that film industry was free of sexual harassment."

"Several persons who come to this field are subjected to various types of exploitation," WCC alleged.

"Some of our colleagues themselves had openly talked about casting couch very recently," it pointed out.

"We expect that the state government appointed Justice Hema Commission will conduct efficient inquiry into this aspect', WCC said and urged the people in the filmdom to be vigilant over such statements.