#MeToo: More women speak out against Akbar\, heads roll in Bollywood

#MeToo: More women speak out against Akbar, heads roll in Bollywood

Press Trust of India  |  New Delhi/Mumbai 

A day after Union M J filed a case against a journalist, two more women came forward with their accounts of alleged harassment by him, undeterred and unafraid as the #MeToo juggernaut continued to roll Tuesday with newer names being 'outed'.

The Padma Bhushan award winner has denied the allegations by Nisha Bora, who claimed he groped and forcefully kissed her in 2004.

"I am shocked... I don't know her, I have never met her, and even if I did meet somebody somewhere one doesn't behave like this... it is vulgar," Das told

Tuesday saw some fallouts too, with two senior executives in the Hindi film industry losing their jobs and Congress' student wing submitting his resignation.

Akbar, who has engaged a top firm to file a criminal suit against Priya Ramani, lauded the for its implementation of the National Food Security Act in a tweet.

However, he had more to reckon with as new allegations tumbled out of his 1990s cupboard when he was of several publications.

Tushita Patel alleged that invited her to his hotel room on the pretext of some work and opened the door dressed only in his underwear. It was early 1990s when she was a 22-year-old trainee at She has also accused him of molesting her twice while she was working in in

Swati Gautam, writing for The Quint, claimed met her in his hotel room dressed only in his bathrobe when she was a student in Kolkata and went to invite him as a guest for an event at

Gautam alleged that Akbar rolled a glass down to her, suggesting she make a drink for him.

"When my initial shock wore off, I too bent down and rolled it back at him. That buoyed me up. Giving him a hard stare, I got up and walked out of that dratted room and as far away as I could from The Bathrobe...," she said.

In a letter to Rajnath Singh, the said it was deeply dismayed the government has not instituted any formal inquiry despite the long list of complaints involving the "in the ministry of external affairs".

"We very strongly feel that the continuation of the minister in his position only sends out the wrong message that the government is apathetic to these serious concerns," the organisation comprising women journalists said without naming Akbar

As anger grew in many quarters over Akbar's continuance in office, accepted the resignation of national Fairoz Khan, who stepped down from his post following charges of

Khan denied the allegation and said he quit keeping in mind the party's interests. The had set up a committee after a from levelled charges of against the of its students' wing in June.

In corporate Bollywood, the response was swifter.

fired Y-Films' in the wake of the allegations against him and KWAN Entertainment founder was asked to step down from the talent management company he had founded.

In a brief statement posted on its official handle, Yash Raj Films, which referred the complaint to its (ICC), said it has terminated Patil's services with immediate effect.

The move against Blah came on a day Mid-Day newspaper published a report quoting four women, who asked that their identities be kept a secret, saying he had harassed them.

"In view of the article dated 16th October 2018 published in The Midday, we have asked Anirban Blah to forthwith step aside from his duties, activities and responsibilities at KWAN, its subsidiaries and affiliates with immediate effect," a statement from Kwan, which handles several Bollywood stars, said.

At a time when many in the media have called out the big names for their silence on the movement, which has felled many a stalwart, veteran extended his support to #Metoo in a cryptic tweet.

"The only defence they have is 'Why so late?' It is better late than never. You don't have to wait for the result, you have already won great public support. Aadmi pahad se gir kar khadda ho sakta haiapni nazron se girkar nahin. (A person can stand up after falling from a mountain but not after falling in his own eyes)," Khan tweeted.

Writer-lyricist Varun Grover demanded closure in a case, where he was accused of sexually harassing a junior while in college, a claim that he has repeatedly and categorically denied.

Grover reiterated that he was willing to face any inquiry but wanted to clear his name to move on in his personal and professional life.

""Revolutions are beautiful. They are cathartic, powerful, necessary, and like #metoo - inevitable. And revolutions, inevitably, have some collateral damage too," Grover said in a post on Medium.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Tue, October 16 2018. 19:45 IST