Kerala police on Sunday intensified its efforts to arrest the culprits involved in the harassment of a noted South Indian actress amid mounting pressure from the film fraternity and political parties for stern action.
Police said a hunt was on to nab culprits including the mastermind, a history sheeter known as Pulser Suni, who had earlier worked as driver for some noted Malayalam film actors, including actor-turned politician Mukesh.
Martin, driver of the actress' car was taken into custody on Saturday for allegedly conniving with the gang which executed the crime.
The actress was harassed for two hours allegedly by a gang of men, who forced their way into her car before fleeing at a busy area here on Feb 17 night.
Earlier on Sunday, the film fraternity in Kerala came out in support of the actress. The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) President Innocent in a Facebook post described the incident as an "heinous crime".
"We have only one thing to say to those who committed this cruel act to our daughter.. sister – defeat is yours. She will stand undefeated... Always", he said.
Innocent, also a Lok Sabha MP, said he had contacted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and DGP Loknath Behera the moment he came to know about the incident yesterday.
"Both of them have assured us that the guilty will be punished," he said, adding, AMMA was closely watching the action by police.
Actress Manju Warrier said she had met the actress, who was in a state of shock after the "horrifying" incident". But she was "bold and we were the ones who were shattered. Those responsible for the attack had perverted mindset and culture," she said in a post.
Filmmaker Major Ravi wants the government to take strong action against those responsible for the incident. "If a celebrity can go through this kind of torture from the rowdy gang, it can happen to any of our sisters. Shame on you all, the system who can't take action on these culprits." Ravi also wanted the film fraternity to come together "on the road till the government wakes up."
Actor Unni Mukundan said he respected the actress' decision to speak out about her harrowing experience, adding "nothing will change except for the fact that everyone will know that you are one brave girl who chose to fight."
Rima Kallingal lauded the actress for having the guts to fight, while actor Kunjacko Boban said in his post that "A 'MAN' becomes a real man when he learns to respect woman. It is our duty to stand by her, support her rather than throwing stones at her making some baseless allegations".
Describing the actress as one of the "boldest" and "bravest souls" in the industry, singer Sayanora Philip said, "She will be back, and she will make sure that each one of the culprits gets their deserved share of punishment."
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