Papon reveals his side of the story: An accidental move and not sexual assault

Papon has put out a statement on his social media handles where he pleads people to not jump to any conclusions.

Singer Papon has landed in trouble after Supreme Court lawyer Runa Bhayan filed a complaint against him for kissing a minor girl. In a video shared by Papon on his Facebook profile, the singer is seen celebrating Holi with a few kids from the reality show he is currently judging. However, towards the end of the video, he kisses a minor girl after applying colours on her face.

Papon has now shared an official statement on his social media handles where he says that he is being victimised for no fault of his own. Papon’s statement reads:

“I am very painfully conscious of the accusations that have been made against me in the last few days. Anyone who knows me would be aware that I am an extremely affectionate and expressive person. That is the way I have been brought up and that’s how I have always been with people close to me or people I care about. To show affection for an 11 year old child who I have been mentoring for a while now is not an alien concept for me. Please do remember that it a video on my own facebook live and stop for a moment and at least wonder why I would myself promote a video where I am ‘apparently’ doing all the unmentionable things that I am being accused of.”

pic.twitter.com/IQffjbeszp

— papon angaraag (@paponmusic) February 23, 2018

The statement further reads, “My humble request to everyone, when you do come across this matter is to just pause and think about how much harm this does to the people involved. I have a loving wife of over 14 years and two young children. There is a little girl involved, whose identity is not masked in any way. Both of our families are being destroyed forever, just by people jumping to conclusions.
However, this is not to say that I haven’t made a mistake. I might have done it spontaneously but in today’s environment, to touch a girl child, however innocent your thoughts are, is not advisable. I am sorry for that. Please do accuse me of being naïve and stupid even but please do not call me all those disgusting names.

Please note that the girl in question and her family have gone on record and stated that what is being depicted is not what actually transpired and it is in fact just a case of faulty camera angles and an accidental move and not a sexual assault as being reported. The said incident transpired in the presence of personnel from the reality show and there is nothing objectionable about it. I admit that I am an extremely affable person and am very convivial with my fan community but please bear in mind that I have been happily married for over 14 years with two children and I would do nothing to cause harm to them. I hold the girl in high regards not only as a lady but also as a contestant on the reality show I am part of. If I had anything to be culpable of, the said video would have been deleted from my social media. As an accountable civilian, the safety and respect of women are of grave importance to me and I would never commit an act that is inappropriate or discourteous in any form. Please know that my intentions with everything that I do in my life are always pure and honest and I would never commit an indecent act as it is being portrayed. I urge the members of the press and my fans to please consider both sides of the story before maligning my public repertoire and damaging the reputation of this girl. My family stands by me in this tough time where I feel I am victimized for no fault of mine.”

Also Read | Complaint filed against singer Papon for inappropriately kissing a minor girl

The father of the minor girl stands by Papon and had earlier said, “Papon sir is a mentor and a father figure to my daughter and has always encouraged her to pursue her dreams. He doesn’t differentiate amongst the children who are here and gives them equal guidance on pursuing their dreams. What you saw in the video is not intentional. It was just a moment of affection that is being portrayed otherwise.”

Papon is an acclaimed singer and is well known for the song “Moh Moh Ke Dhage” from Dum Laga Ke Haisha.

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