Why Everyone Talking About Paragraph 96 Of Hema Committee Report?
The Hema Committee recently revealed long-withheld explosive details on the Malayalam film industry with shocking disclosures about widespread sexual exploitation of women in the industry. With discussions all around over the topic, controversies are brewing regarding the omission of certain portions of the report that was made available to the public through RTI.
The allegations are that the government selectively omitted and included information, contrary to the directions of the State Information Commission (SIC). It is reported that several paragraphs, including paragraphs 97 to 108, have been removed from the report released on August 19.
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Now a major discussion is happening surrounding the ‘Paragraph 96’, that states, “On analysis of the evidence placed before us, we are satisfied that women face sexual harassment even from very well-known people in the film industry who were named before the committee. On considering the various aspects, we have no reason to disbelieve what was stated before us regarding sexual harassment in the film industry.”
The committee was established in 2017 following the abduction and rape of a prominent actress to address the challenges faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The committee submitted the report to the government in 2019, which was released recently after much delay, adhering to Section 13 of the RTI Act, which ensures the removal of personal information and identification.
