Actor Siddique, Secretary General of AMMA. File

Actor Siddique has resigned as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) following allegations of sexual abuse by actress Revathy Sampath. Mr. Siddique confirmed to The Hindu that he had submitted his resignation letter to actor Mohanlal, the chairman of AMMA, in light of the allegations against him.

“I have voluntarily resigned because it is inappropriate to continue in that position while facing such an allegation. No one has asked for my resignation. Let the truth come out,” Mr Siddique said.

When asked about his response to the allegations, he said he would respond in detail after seeking legal advice.

Speaking to the media on Saturday evening, Ms Sampath accused Mr Siddique of sexually assaulting her after he called her to Thiruvananthapuram for an audition for a “non-existent film”.

“Siddique contacted me on a social media platform and offered me a role in a Tamil film in which his son was also acting. I didn’t doubt his intentions because he always called me daughter. After about a year, I came to Thiruvananthapuram to follow through on the offer. It was a trap. There was no such film. He sexually abused me for an hour in a hotel room. He punched and kicked me when I resisted. He is a criminal. Some of my friends also had similar experiences with him. I had to give up my dreams and go through a lot of mental health issues. This should not happen to anyone again,” she said.

Mr Siddique’s resignation comes two days after he spoke to the media to give AMMA’s first official response to the Hema Committee report on the issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. He had said the organisation would not support those who had wronged women in the industry.

He specifically said that the organization has not received any complaints about the casting couch. “No one can be sidelined in cinema just for filing a complaint. There has been no denial of opportunities to members of the Women in Cinema Collective. Casting is done on the basis of the actor who best fits a role,” he said.