This story is from October 18, 2018

#MeToo movement: Sexual harassment allegations so far

#MeToo: Prominent names caught in sexual harassment allegations
The #MeToo movement, which began in the United States more than a year ago in response to accusations of sexual harassment and abuse by powerful men in the entertainment industry, gained traction in India late September after actress Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of inappropriate behaviour on the sets of a film they were shooting in 2008.
Since then, the hashtag has became a rallying cry against sexual harassment, with multiple women coming out with their #MeToo stories.

Here's the list of some of the prominent names who have been caught in the web of #MeToo allegations so far:

M J Akbar
Former Union minister
Accused of: Several women journalists, including Pallavi Gogoi, Priya Ramani, Ghazala Wahab and Shutapa Paul and Tushita Patel came out with detailed accounts of alleged sexual misconduct by Akbar when he held senior editorial positions at various media organisations.
His defence: M J Akbar has called all the allegations against him false and fabricated. He has further accused Priya Ramani of "wilfully, deliberately, intentionally and maliciously" defaming him. Akbar has vehemently denied the allegations of rape leveled by Pallavi Gogoi and said that he was in a consensual relationship with her.

Current status: The Editors Guild of India on Thursday, through an official statement, requested M J Akbar to withdraw his defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani. Akbar has also filed a defamation case in Delhi's Patiala House court against Priya Ramani. The court has fixed October 31 for the next hearing. Meanwhile, 20 women journalists have come out in support of their colleagues and urged the court to hear their testimonies against Akbar. On Wednesday, Akbar resigned as minister of state for external affairs following the spate of sexual misconduct accusations levelled by several women against him.
Read more #MeToo news related to M J Akbar

Rahul Johri
BCCI CEO
Accused of: Johri has been accused of misbehaviour by an unnamed person, who claimed to be an ex-colleague of Johri at the Discovery Channel. The messages were posted on Twitter by an author, Harnidh Kaur, who later stated that she did not want the charges published nor her name used in the context.
Johri was the executive VP and GM (South Asia), for Discovery Networks (Asia Pacific) before he joined the BCCI in June 2016.
Defence: Discovery India, the previous employer of Rahul Johri, said through an official statement, "During his (Rahul Johri's) tenure at Discovery, there were no reports of any misconduct against him."
Current Status: A three-member panel set up by CoA to probe the charges has given clean chit to Johri.
Read more #MeToo news related to Rahul Johri

Ashish Patil
VP - Brand Partnerships and Talent Management & Business and Creative Head - Y-Films
Accused of: Activist Japleen Parischa shared an anonymous actress's post in which she claimed that Ashish allegedly took her on a drive and tried to kiss her.
His defence: Patil has denied the allegations.
Current status: YRF has fired Patil in the wake of the allegations.
Read more #MeToo news related to Ashish Patil

Anirban Blah
Talent manager
Accused of: Several women including aspiring actress Meira Omar have accused Anirban Blah of sexually harassing them. Blah is the co-founder of talent management agency Kwan.
His defence: Blah apologised unconditionally saying, "To anyone I may have hurt, I am sorry. This isn’t revenge for you. This is justice. You should just know that the stories you hear are worse than the truth but whatever the truth, it still makes me a monster in my own eyes ..."
Current status: The celebrity manager has been asked to step aside from his duties, activities and responsibilities at KWAN (according to the company’s statement dated October 16) after several allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against him in the last few days.
Read more #MeToo news related to Anirban Blah

Ajit Thakur
Content head
Accused of: A young writer from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) has accused Thakur, the Content Studio Head at Reliance, of forcing her to have alcohol and asking inappropriate questions about her sex life.
Defence: He has not yet responded to the allegations against him.
Current Status: Ajit Thakur has resigned as Content Studio Head.
Read more #MeToo news related to Ajit Thakur

Suresh Rangarajan
Executive
Accused of: A journalist recently posted screenshots on her Twitter account accusing Rangarajan, chief of corporate communications at Tata Motors, of misbehaving with women employees.
His defence: Rangarajan has not responded to the allegations.
Current status: Tata Motors has sent him on leave and said that an objective enquiry will be conducted.
Read more #MeToo news related to Suresh Rangarajan

Mukesh Chhabra
Casting director
Accused of: Two aspiring actresses have accused casting agent Mukesh Chhabra of sexual harassment.
His defence: Mukesh Chhabra has responded to the allegations by issuing a notice to the Mid-Day, which published the allegations. The notice issued by Punam Sawhney, CEO of Mukesh Chhabra Casting Company, requests the details of the complainants and the recorded conversation so that they can place it before ICC. "It is very unfortunate that years of hard work and building is been muzzled with a series of unsubstantiated anonymous allegations," Chhabra told TOI.
Current status: Fox Star Studios, the production house backing Mukesh Chhabra’s directorial venture ‘Kizzie Aur Manny’, has announced its decision to “suspend the services” of the casting director-turned-filmmaker until the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) concludes its inquiry into the allegations against him.
Read more #MeToo news related to Mukesh Chhabra

Vicky Sidana
Casting director
Accused of: Two aspiring actresses have accused Vicky Sidana of sexually harassing them in an interview to Mid-Day. Post the allegations, actress Kritika Sharma also spoke out against Sidana, accusing him of attemped rape.
His defence: Sidana has not yet responded to the allegations against him.
Current status: Kritika tried to register an FIR against Sidana at Versova police station, but the cops said they wanted to investigate the matter first since the incident took place 5 years ago.
Read more #MeToo news related to Vicky Sidana

Bhushan Kumar
T-Series chairman
Accused of: An anonymous Twitter user, claiming to be an actress, has accused Kumar of propositioning her on the pretext of signing a three-movie contract with his production house.
His defence: Producer Bhushan Kumar has denied the sexual harassment allegations against him, saying the claims are being used as a “tool to malign his reputation.”
Current status: Kumar has lodged a police complaint against the anonymous person.
Read more #MeToo news related to Bhushan Kumar

Jatin Das
Painter
Accused of: Entrepreneur Nisha Bora and writer Garusha Katoch have accused the artist of sexually harassing them.
His defence: Padma Bhushan recipient Das has denied the charges levelled against him by Bora, saying he has never met her. He said the allegations are levelled against people “for the fun of it”.
Current status: No action as of yet.
Read more #MeToo news related to Jatin Das

Alok Nath
Actor
Accused of: Several Bollywood actresses have levelled allegations of harassment against Alok Nath after writer-producer Vinta Nanda claimed that she was sexually violated by the actor around 19 years ago. Well-known actors such as Sandhya Mridul and Amyra Dastur, singer Sona Mohapatra and Nath's co-star Navneet Nishan came out about their unsavoury harassment experiences.
His defence: Alok Nath has dismissed all the allegations levelled against him. He says it is useless to react to these allegations since "in today’s world, whatever a woman says, only that will be considered.”
Current status: Alok Nath has moved a civil suit against writer-director Vinta Nanda, seeking a public apology and Re 1 as damages. Nanda has lodged an official complaint against Nath at Oshiwara Police Station in Mumbai. Actor Alok Nath has refused to respond to a notice issued to him by the Indian Film and Television Directors Association (IFTDA) over the harassment allegations. IFTDA has now decided to take strong action against the actor. The Cine and TV Artists Association (CINTAA) expelled Alok Nath following various allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct
Read more #MeToo news related to Alok Nath

Arjan Sarja
Actor
Accused of: Kannada actress Sruthi Hariharan, through a Facebook post, has accused co-star Arjun Sarja of inappropriately touching her during the shoot of ‘Vismaya’. Later at a press conference, Sruthi said four other actresses had also narrated similar experiences, but they remained anonymous.
His defence: Arjun has denied the allegations levelled against him by Sruthi. He said, “I never expected this. I have acted with 60-70 heroines in 150 movies, but no one has pointed fingers at me. I plan to sue Sruthi Hariharan for these allegations.”
Current status: Sruthi’s accusations have left the Kannada film industry divided. While former Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce president Sa Ra Govindu accused Sruthi of making false allegation and director Arun Vaidyanathan defended Arjan, Sruthi received support from various quarters. Actor Prakash Rai wrote on his facebook page, “Sruthi Hariharan is indeed a talented actress in Sandalwood. Similarly, we shall not forget that senior actor Arjun Sarja is also our pride. But, even though Arjun has denied the charges, he must apologize to her for hurting her on that day." Shraddha Srinath also tweeted in Sruthi's support. ruthi also got support from actresses Neethu Shetty and Ragini Dwivedi.
Read more #MeToo news related to Arjan Sarja

Nana Patekar
Actor
Accused of: Bollywood actor Tanushree Dutta has accused Nana Patekar of sexual misconduct during the shooting of ‘Horn ‘OK’ Pleassss’ in 2008.
His defence: Nana Patekar denied the allegations citing them as false accusations by the actress. He described Tanushree’s claims of sexual harassment a ‘lie’.
Current status: Tanushree Dutta has filed an FIR with the police against Nana Patekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya, director Rakesh Sarang and producer Samee Siddiqui. In response, Patekar has slapped Dutta with a legal notice and demanded a written apology from her. Meanwhile, he has pulled himself out of the movie “Housefull 4”, saying he does not want to cause inconvenience to the people involved with the project.
Read more #MeToo news related to Nana Patekar

Kangana Ranaut
Actor
Accused of: Actor Adhyayan Suman has alleged that Kangana abused him physically and emotionally during their relationship.
Defence: No response yet
Current Status: No action as of yet
Read more #MeToo news related to Kangana Ranaut

Piyush Mishra
Actor
Accused of: An anonymous woman accused Piyush Mishra of inappropriate behaviour at a party.
His defence: Mishra, who is also a writer-director, said he was probably a few drinks down when the incident took place and apologised if he made the lady feel uncomfortable.
Current status: No action as of yet
Read more #MeToo news related to Piyush Mishra

Gaurang Doshi
Film producer
Accused of: Gaurang Doshi is accused of sexually assaulting actress Flora Saini
His defence: Gaurang Doshi denies all the allegations and says he is being victimised.
Current status: Flora Saini has sent a legal notice to Gaurang Doshi
Read more #MeToo news related to Gaurang Doshi

Rajat Kapoor
Actor/director
Accused of: The actor has been accused of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour by two anonymous women and a journalist.
His defence: Rajat Kapoor apologised on Twitter stating that he has tried to be a decent man all his life.
Current status: The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) has dropped Rajat Kapoor’s ‘Kadakh’ from the lineup of the upcoming 20th edition of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in the wake of the accusations against him.
Read more #MeToo news related to Rajat Kapoor

Sajid Khan
Director/actor
Accused of: Sajid Khan has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, including actors Saloni Chopra and Simran Suri as well as journalist Karishma Upadhyay.
His Defence: Sajid Khan has not accepted any of the accusations levelled against him. The filmmaker has asked the media and the people to wait for the truth to come out and not pass any judgement. Farah Khan has said the sexual harassment allegations against her filmmaker brother are "heartbreaking" and he will have to atone for them if they turn out to be true.
Current Status: Sajid Khan said he is taking the "moral responsibility" to step down as director of “Housefull 4” till he can allay the allegations.
Read more #MeToo news related to Sajid Khan

Zulfi Syed
Model/ Actor
Accused of: The model-actor has been accused by a photojournalist of making forcible sexual advances.
His defence: Zulfi has apologised for his actions.
Current status: No action as of yet
Read more #MeToo news related to Zulfi Syed

Dibakar Banerjee
Director
Accused of: Actress Payal Rohatgi has accused Dibakar of sexual misconduct. Payal said Dibakar tried to take advantage of her in lieu of offering her a role in one of his upcoming films in 2011. Payal claims Banerjee had asked her to “lift her shirt and show him her stomach.” She said that she was punished by the industry for outing Banerjee and “no one called her for an audition again.”
His defence: Dibakar Banerjee responded to Bombay Times saying, "I had categoricall cleared my stand then. I have nothing to add." He also forwarded a copy of his earlier statement (made in 2011).
Current status: No action as of now.
Read more #MeToo news related to Dibakar Banerjee

Subhash Ghai
Director
Accused of: A woman had accused the filmmaker of raping her. Recently, TV actress and model Kate Sharma also accused the director of forcefully hugging and kissing her.
His defence: The filmmaker has denied all the allegations levelled against him.
Current status: Kate Sharma has filed a complaint against Subhash Ghai.
Read more #MeToo news related to Subhash Ghai

Sham Kaushal
Action director
Accused of: Assistant director Nameeta Prakash has accused Kaushal of sexual harassment during an outdoor shoot of a movie in 2006. The action director allegedly invited Prakash to his room for drinks and when she declined, he began persuading her and even showed a pornographic video on his phone.
Defence: Kaushal has responded to the allegations by saying that he has always tried to be a good human being, both professionally and personally. He also apologised for unintentionally causing any hurt to anyone.
Current status: No action as of yet
Read more #MeToo news related to Sham Kaushal

Vikas Bahl
Director
Accused of: Vikas Bahl was accused of sexual harassment last year by a former employee of the film collective Phantom Films, for an incident that took place in 2015 in Goa. Bahl's partners Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane came out in support of the allegations, with the former dissolving their production house Phantom. Post this, actor Kangana Ranaut also alleged that Bahl used to 'bury his face in her neck' and 'hold her really tight'.
His defence: The filmmaker has filed a defamatory suit against Anurag Kashyap and Vikamaditya Motwane in the high court. Vikas reportedly stated that the entire case of sexual harassment against him was orchestrated by Anurag and Vikramaditya “as a result of professional jealousy and with the sole intent to defame him, malign his image and destroy his career.”
Current status: Following sexual harassment allegations, Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) had reportedly taken a stern stand against Vikas Bahl by issuing a show-cause notice asking him to respond within one week’s time, failing to which, his membership will be terminated. Vikas Bahl has now responded to the notice, denying all the allegations levelled against him. He has also requested IFTDA not to terminate his membership without giving him a personal hearing.
Read more #MeToo news related to Vikas Bahl

Vivek Agnihotri
Director
Accused of: Tanushree Dutta has claimed that Vivek Agnihotri asked her to take off her bathrobe and dance in front of another actor despite her not being in the scene. The incident allegedly took place during the shooting of the film ‘Chocolate’.
His defence: Vivek Agnihotri issued a statement through his lawyers stating that Tanushree Dutta’s allegations are false, frivolous and vexatious.
Current status: Vivek Agnihotri has served a legal notice to initiate defamation action against the actress.
Read more #MeToo news related to Vivek Agnihotri

Atul Kasbekar
Fashion photographer and producer
Accused of: A female actor of the upcoming film ‘Cheat India’ has accused producer Atul Kasbekar and director Soumik Sen of “harassing women with their powerplay” in an anonymous tweet.
His defence: Kasbekar’s production house Ellipsis Entertainment has issued a statement denying all the allegations. The statement says that the production house received no complaint from any member of the ‘Cheat India’ unit.
Current status: Ellipsis Entertainment plans to file a complaint with the cyber crime cell on the anonymity of the Twitter handle which has zero followers.
Read more #MeToo news related to Atul Kasbekar

Mushtaq Sheikh
Scriptwriter
Accused of: TV actor Rahul Raj Singh has accused Mushtaq of sexually harassing him ten years back, because of which he had to suffer a set back in his career.
His defence: Mushtaq Sheikh is unavailable for any comment or clarification.
Current status: No action as of yet.
Read more #MeToo news related to Mushtaq Sheikh

Abhijeet Bhattacharya
Singer
Accused of: Bollywood singer allegedly harassed a flight attendant at a pub.
His defence: Abhijeet Bhattacharya denied all allegations against him and reportedly said that only fat and ugly girls are accusing men of harassment.
Current status: Action yet to be taken.

Anu Malik
Music director/ singer
Accused of: Singer Shweta Pandit has accused Anu Malik of sexually harassing her when she was 15 years old.
Defence: Anu Malik has not yet responded to the allegations
Current Status: Anu Malik said on Sunday that he has decided to take a break from Indian Idol as he is currently unable to focus on his work, his music and the show.
However, Sony Entertainment Television also released a statement which reads, "Anu Malik is no longer a part of Indian Idol jury panel. The show will continue its planned schedule & we'll invite some of the biggest names in Indian music as guests to join Vishal & Neha to judge extraordinary talent of Indian Idol season 10."
Rubbishing all allegations, Anu Malik's lawyer had earlier said in a statement, "The allegations made against my client are emphatically denied as completely false and baseless. My client respects the #metoo movement but to use this movement to start a character assassination mission is obnoxious."
Meanwhile, singer Alisha Chinai has come forward to validate the allegations against Malik, claiming that “every word said and written about Anu Malik is true.”
Read more #MeToo news related to Anu Malik

Kailash Kher
Singer
Accused of: A female journalist recounted how Kher allegedly misbehaved with her during an interview. Following this, singer Sona Mohapatra also spoke out against Kher, claiming he once placed his hands on her thigh
Defence: The singer has said that he does not remember the incident recalled by the female journalist, but apologised in case anything has been misconstrued.
Current Status: A user on Twitter has claimed that Kailash Kher has threatened legal action against the complainants. However, the singer has not officially acted on the complaints.
Read more #MeToo news related to Kailash Kher

Raghu Dixit
Singer
Accused of: Raghu Dixit has been accused of forceful behaviour and sexual misconduct by an aspiring singer and another woman, both of whom remain anonymous.
Defence: Following the accusations, Raghu Dixit acknowledged one victim’s allegations and reportedly apologised for the same.
Current Status: No action as of yet
Read more #MeToo news related to Raghu Dixit

Toshi Sabri
Music composer
Accused of: Singer Varsha alleged that Toshi groped her and forced himself upon her when he was inebriated.
His defence: Toshi has completely rubbished the allegations against him and said that there is no truth in them. He further called the allegations baseless.
Current status: No action as of yet
Read more #MeToo news related to Toshi Sabri

Vairamuthu
Lyricist
Accused of: Sexual harassment Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu has been accused of sexual harassment by many women, including playback singer Chinmayi Sripaada.
His defence: The lyricist has dismissed all the allegations against him as false and said that the women who have accused him have ulterior motives. He has asked the women to file a case against him.
Current status: No action as of yet
Read more #MeToo news related to Vairamuthu

Suhel Seth
Ad-man/consultant
Accused of: Suhel Seth has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, including filmmaker Natashja Rathore, ex-Big Boss contestant Diandra Soares, a journalist and two others who remain anonymous.
His defence: When asked to comment on the allegations, Seth said he would issue a statement on Twitter but is yet to address the issue.
Current status: Tata Sons has terminated contract with Suhel Seth's consultancy firm Counselage India following the allegations.
Read more #MeToo news related to Suhel Seth

C Gouridasan Nair
Journalist
Accused of: New Delhi-based journalist Yamini Nair has accused Nair of harassing her in 2005 while she was working in Chennai as a cub journalist.
His defence: Nair expressed his pain & dismay over the allegation and explained how he viewed the matter. However, he decided not to complicate the matter and immediately offered to go on extended leave.
Current status: Taking Yamini Nair's #MeToo post seriously, the Hindu Publishing Group has sent Nair on leave till his superannuation on December 31, 2018.

Gautam Adhikari
Journalist
Accused of: Former DNA Editor-in-Chief Gautam Adhikari has been accused of sexual harassment by two women who worked under him
His Defence: He has denied the allegations
Current Status: Resigned as senior fellow at Center for American Progress

Fahad Shah
Journalist
Accused of: At least 3 women have accused the journalist of sexually molesting them. An intern, who worked with Shah, has also accused him of sexual misconduct.
His defence: He has denied the allegations against him.
Current status: No action yet.

K R Sreenivas
Journalist
Accused of: Many women journalists have come forward and accused the TOI journalist of sexual harassment at the workplace. A female journalist accused him of touching her inappropriately in 2008
Defence: Sreenivas has said that charges against him will be investigated by an internal complaints committee of BCCL. He said he has submitted himself to the investigation.
Current Status: Sreenivas has resigned as Times of India's Hyderabad resident editor

Mayank Jain
Journalist
Accused of :The journalist has been accused of sending lewd messages to women. Many women have accused him of sexual harassment and misbehavior.
Defence: He has not publicly responded to the allegations
Current Status: Jain resigned from Business Standard

Prashant Jha
Journalist
Accused of: A woman alleged that Jha sent inappropriate messages to her on WhatsApp. Screenshots of the conversation with Jha were also posted on Twitter.
Defence: Jha, in a letter to his editor, said that the allegations have raised moral questions about his conduct. He has stepped down from his position at HT
Current Status: HT media said that a sexual harassment committee will look into the allegations

Satadru Ojha
Journalist
Accused of: The Calcutta Times journalist has been accused of sexual harassment by two former colleagues.
His defence: He has called the allegations malicious and defamatory.
Current status: Charges are being investigated by a special committee set up by BCCL, Times of India's parent company, pending which he has been transferred out of Kolkata.

Vinod Dua
Journalist
Accused of: Filmmaker Nishtha Jain in a social media post accused Vinod Dua of making lewd jokes, demeaning her during a job interview and stalking and trying to grab her when she started working at some other place.
His defence: He is yet to respond to the allegations. However, his daughter Mallika Dua has said that she will stand by her father even though it is his battle to be fought. She added that if it all her father is guilty, then it is “unacceptable”.
Current status: Vinod Dua has issued a statement on the accusation against him saying "30 years ago some woman felt that I did something that troubled her. These allegations can be levelled against anyone ... The person who has been accused has no option but to deny these allegations." Dua also said he was suspending his show 'Jan Gan Man Ki Baat' for a week' to give The Wire, where Dua is a consulting editor, an opportunity to probe the sexual harassment allegation against him'.
Meanwhile, The Wire.in has got an external committee of four persons – a retired justice of the Supreme Court, a retired justice of a high court, a retired IFS officer and a retired professor – to probe Nishtha Jain’s complaint against Dua. Earlier, The Wire.in had issued a statement saying the journalist has denied the allegations. "Our Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) has taken cognisance of the allegations levelled against Dua. We await the outcome of their deliberations in the matter," the Wire had said in its statement.
Read more #MeToo news related to Vinod Dua

Chetan Bhagat
Writer
Accused of: Author Chetan Bhagat has been accused of sending inappropriate messages to a woman. He has also been accused of sexual harassment by author Ira Trivedi.
His defence: Chetan Bhagat has apologised to the girl in case she felt offended when he was trying to flirt with her. He has said that he is not a harasser and the allegations have affected him and his family. Bhagat has denied Trivedi's allegations and shared a screenshot of a 'self-explanatory' mail which the author apparently sent to him in 2013.
Current status: The author has decided that he will not participate in the Bangalore Literature Festival citing other commitments, according to the organisers of the event.
Read more #MeToo news related to Chetan Bhagat

Sachin Garg
Writer
Accused of: The novelist has been accused of sexual harassment by an anonymous woman.
His defence: The writer issued a statement saying that he believed the encounter was consensual. However, he apologised for having caused hurt.
Current status: No action as of yet

Aditi Mittal
Comedian
Accused of: Aditi Mittal has been accused by Kaneez Surkha of forcefully kissing her on stage without her consent.
Her defence: Following the allegations, Aditi Mittal reportedly issued an unconditional apology to Kaneez Surkha. She also stated that she had no intention to cause hurt.
Current status: No action as yet
Read more #MeToo news related to Aditi Mittal

Gursimran Khamba
Comedian
Accused of: The comedian has been accused of forcefully kissing, harassing and emotionally abusing a woman.
His defence: Gursimran Khamba reportedly admitted that he behaved inappropriately. However, he has denied harassing the woman.
Current status: Khamba has been temporarily removed from the comedy collective AIB. A channel has cancelled the upcoming season of a show that features him.
Read more #MeToo news related to Gursimran Khamba

Kanan Gill
Comedian
Accused of: The comedian-actor has been accused of inappropriately touching a group of women while inebriated.
Defence: Following the accusations, Kanan Gill extended an apology to the person concerned.
Current Status: The woman has accepted the apology and doesn’t intend to pursue the matter any further.

Utsav Chakarborty
Comedian
Accused of: The writer-actor has been accused of sending nude pictures of himself to unknown women and asking for similar pictures in return.
Defence: Following the allegations, Utsav tendered a long apology on his Twitter handle.
Current status: All the videos featuring the actor have been delisted by AIB.
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