Kochi: Amidst intense criticism and pressure, director Ranjith has resigned from his position at the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. Ranjith’s resignation came on Sunday morning at around 9:30 AM, just two days after Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra made sexual harassment allegations against him. The resignation letter was handed over to Cultural Minister Saji Cherian via email. It is reported that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan personally asked Ranjith to resign. Previously, there was significant pressure on the government to force Ranjith’s resignation. Parties including the CPI (Communist Party of India) had strongly demanded his removal. Senior CPI leaders such as Annie Raj and K.E. Ismail had also called for Ranjith to step down. In light of the allegations, members of the Chalachitra Academy had also demanded his resignation. With both the opposition and members of the ruling party joining in the call for his resignation, the government was under immense pressure.
Earlier, the government had changed its stance on the controversy involving Ranjith. This shift came after a major controversy surrounding Minister Saji Cherian’s earlier support for Ranjith. The minister had stated that if the actress Sreelekha Mitra was unable to file a direct complaint, he would consider how to accept her complaint in some other manner.
Meanwhile, Sreelekha Mitra stated that Ranjith admitted his mistake. “Finally, Ranjith admitted his mistake. It is not just Ranjith, there are many like him. This is a very important time. Let everything come out,” Sreelekha Mitra said. She revealed that during the filming of ‘Paleri Manikyam’ directed by Ranjith in the 2009-10 period, the director behaved inappropriately towards her. She said she was afraid and spent the entire night in a hotel. “I had informed about the incident. I reported it to documentary filmmaker Joshi Joseph. But no one contacted me afterward. I did not get opportunities in ‘Paleri Manikyam’ and other Malayalam films because I opposed his inappropriate behavior,” Sreelekha alleged.
