"Until and unless the powerful people keep being unfair by sheltering the criminals, no movement or report can be effective," she exclaimed after the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, which exposed the shocking harassment and sexual exploitation faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.
In 2018, Dutta had accused Bollywood actor Nana Patekar of sexually harassing her, thereby initiating what is more or less seen as 'India's #MeToo movement.' The actor has denied the charges multiple times.
Meanwhile, another former beauty queen, Himamalini, also promised to support the women who had opened up about the all-encompassing Justice Hema Committee in its report published on Tuesday.
This panel was constituted after the 2017 actress assault case involving actor Dileep, to study issues of invading sexual harassment in cinema and the problems related to gender disparity in Malayalam cinema.
"This seems to be a theme of the #MeToo accused, like they portray a decent image in front of society and (when) their image breaks, their ego cannot take it. I feel for the Kerala victim(s) deeply. Nothing will happen with these reports because women still continue to be attacked and exploited.
"It doesn't matter in this country who you are -- be it Miss India, an actress, educated or accomplished person. As long as people in power try to shield these criminals, no movement, nobody can do much about the issue. There is this committee report, there was the Vishaka committee, and there are so many reports and committees being made, but how do you follow the system when the law and order is so corrupt and illegally earned money is used to bribe the system?" Dutta told PTI in an interview.
This included the Vishaka guidelines, where the Supreme Court had formulated in 1997, making it mandatory for organisations – private or public – to have a mechanism for the redressal of complaints on sexual harassment.
Dutta had complained in 2018 that Patekar had touched her inappropriately on the pretext of showing her dance steps when they were shooting for the 2009 film "Horn 'Ok' Pleassss."
She had lodged the complaint against Patekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya, director Rakesh Sarang and the producer of the film.
She said she had given the names of 14 people who would witness, but the police did not record the statements of any of them and attempted to annex a B summary report. This means the police do not have enough evidence for charges or to try an accused, she added. She said she fought against this.
"My witnesses told me they got threatening calls from PCO and no police ever contacted them for a statement. One male witness ran away to his village, one guy went to the Middle East, and one female witness never came out of fear. After five years, the court date has come for just our protest petition, it's next month. Five years just to keep the case open! When will I get justice?" she added.
The former film actress, who said she only held onto faith for support, said she has been followed, literally, and surveilled by some groups of men unknown to her everywhere she moved in everywhere she moved in the last three years.
"In 2022, I met with an accident in Ujjain when somebody had cut (off) the brakes of the auto in which I was traveling. It happened not once but twice to rule out any coincidence," Dutta claimed, saying she has undergone "mental and psychological harassment of another level."
"I'm someone's daughter too, do I not have the right to live and feel safe in this country?" she asked.
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