In a shocking revelation through her post on Instagram a popular Malayalam film actor has said she was sexually abused during a film promotion event at a mall in Kerala's Kozhikode district.
Expressing her anguish and concern over the "sexual frustration" of people, the post said another actor also had a similar experience during the event held late on Tuesday night at the busy mall.
A video of the incident reportedly went viral on social media platforms soon and the local TV channels aired the same.
"Kozhikode is a place I loved a lot. But, tonight while returning after a programme, a person from the crowd grabbed me. It disgusts me to say where! Are people around us so frustrated? We had been to several places as part of the promotion. But, I never had such a pathetic experience anywhere else. My colleague also had a similar experience. She reacted, but I couldn't in that situation as I was dumbstruck for a moment," the actor said in last night's post.
The other actor, who had been subjected to sexual abuse from the crowd, also shared her harrowing experience through her Instagram page.
She said the mall was overcrowded and security personnel were struggling to manage the rush. A person had misbehaved with one of her co-stars but she could not react, the actor said.
"Later, I also encountered a similar experience but I reacted... I wish that no one has to face this kind of unwanted trauma in their life," she said and wanted the guilty to be punished.
Police said an investigation has been launched and efforts are on to identify and trace those who abused the actors.
A promotion event held at the same mall a month ago had to be cut short as the crowd assembled there to witness their favourite actor went out of control.