A first information report has been filed against senior Malayalam actor Siddique for allegedly raping a young actor, reported The Indian Express on Wednesday.

The actor accused Siddique of raping her at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016. The police have booked Siddique for rape and criminal intimidation. He has also been accused of illegally detaining and threatening the woman, reported The Hindu.

The complainant is among several women from the Malayalam film industry who have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by their male colleagues following the release of the Justice Hema committee report.

On Sunday, Siddique resigned as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists after the woman’s allegations against him.

Siddique also filed a complaint with the police saying that there was a criminal conspiracy to fabricate and spread false allegations against him, reported The Indian Express.

“The reputation of the entire Malayalam film industry is being deliberately tarnished by a group of persons and it is essential that the persons behind this criminal conspiracy are brought to light,” he alleged. “I request you to take effective action in this matter to bring out the truth and the perpetrators behind the criminal conspiracy of fabricating and publishing false and scandalous allegations.”

On Sunday, the Kerala government also formed a seven-member panel of high-ranking police officers to investigate the allegations of sexual abuse against several prominent members of the industry.

Besides Siddique, Malayalam director Ranjith, actor-producer Baburaj, actor and Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA M Mukesh are facing allegations of rape and sexual misconduct.

So far, the police have filed 17 sexual abuse cases based on complaints by women in the Malayalam film industry, reported The Hindu.

Most of the complainants are junior actors, make-up assistants, scriptwriters and those aspiring for roles in the movies.

On Tuesday, the 17-member executive committee of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, including its president and actor Mohanlal, resigned from their posts amid a growing number of sexual misconduct allegations against its members.

The association said it would conduct a general body meeting within two months to elect a new governing body. It also said that its existing governing body would continue for the time being as an ad-hoc entity to coordinate office matters and ensure the distribution of various welfare measures to its members.

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