KOCHI, (India): Several prominent film actors and directors are the focus of a police investigation into sexual assault and harassment in India’s southern state of Kerala, a case that has added to the outrage in the country over violence against women.

The allegations come at a time when doctors in many parts of the country are protesting against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in the eastern city of Kolkata, leading to strikes in several hospitals and anger on social media.

The investigation in Kerala began when police received complaints from female actors accusing male colleagues of sexual harassment and abuse. The accusations came a week after a government-appointed panel detailed instances of sexual harassment and discrimination in the Malayalam language film industry, based in Kerala, in the past.