Gaurav Bhatia quits as Sotheby India\'s MD a month after #MeToo allegations

Gaurav Bhatia quits as Sotheby India's MD a month after #MeToo allegations

According to the anonymous allegations against Bhatia that surfaced on social media, he touched the victims inappropriately

Press Trust of India  |  New Delhi 

has resigned as Sotheby's MD, nearly a month after he went on a leave of absence following allegations of sexual misconduct, the auction house said on Saturday.

Bhatia, who was the operations head and the driving force behind Boundless: India, Sotheby's maiden auction in the country, put in his papers on December 20, 2018.

Sotheby's of India, Gaurav Bhatia, resigned on December 20th, 2018 after two years with the company, during which time he launched the inaugural auction. We appreciate and thank him for his service, the auction house told

Bhatia, in a statement, said he had decided to move on after two successful years with the auction house.

After two enriching years and the stellar opportunity to launch Sotheby's inaugural auction in Mumbai, I have decided to move on. It has been a pleasure working with the great team we have built, and I will enjoy watching them continue to build Sotheby's future in I wish them the very best," he said.

According to the anonymous allegations against Bhatia that surfaced on social media, he touched the victims' inappropriately and forcibly tried to kiss them.

Bhatia was among the big names that were called out in the movement in the Indian art world, besides leading artists like Jatin Das, Riyas Komu and most recently Subodh Gupta.

Read our full coverage on me too movement
First Published: Sat, January 05 2019. 12:30 IST