Two Indian actresses from Malayalam-language cinema have revealed that they were sexually abused at a movie promotion event in the Kozhikode district of the Indian state of Kerala.
A video of the incident shared online shows the moment when an unknown man gropes one of the actresses as they were trying to get through the crowd surrounded by bodyguards. The actress can be seen turning around in an attempt to slap him, but he escaped.
Following the assault, the actress took to social media, saying that both she and her colleague have been to several places in the country to promote the upcoming movie -- but had never had "such a pathetic experience" elsewhere.
"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?," the actress wrote.
She also revealed that her co-actress had a similar experience, but did not have a chance to respond to the attacker.
"She reacted, but I couldn't in that situation as I was dumbstruck for a moment," the victim said in a post.
"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," the other actress confirmed.