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Anu Malik Removed As Indian Idol Judge, Alisha Chinai Says All Allegations Are True

byPramit Chatterjee
22nd October 2018
2 minute read

It’s a common conception that the general public tend to forget about a certain topic once it peaks. That’s why wrongdoers often wait for that fatigue to set in to avoid getting cornered. However, the #MeToo movement in India isn’t one of those trends, as it’s continuing to rage on ever since Tanushree Dutta re-ignited its flame. And the latest man to feel its heat is none other than Anu Malik.

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A couple of days ago, Shweta Pandit accused Anu Malik of sexually harassing her. She talked about the incident in detail in a Twitter post and called Malik a pedophile.

While Anu Malik and his lawyer, Zulfiquar Memon stayed in denial, the allegations kept stacking up. Danica D’Souza talked about two women who had been harassed by the composer during Indian Idol 5.

“This incident occurred in Kolkata. One of our colleagues from the production crew was travelling with a cameraman and Malik in a car to get sound bites. When she returned, she looked traumatised and told us of the unfortunate incident. She said once they had wrapped up their work, Malik touched her thigh in the car, and felt her up. She was startled. The cameraman, who was sitting in the front seat, wasn’t aware of what was going on behind him.”

D’Souza also alleged that Malik user to refer to her as “darling, baby and sweety” which made her uncomfortable. She hoped the channel and production house would take a stand against Anu Malik.

Considering how grave the allegations about Anu Malik’s predatory behaviour were, Indian Idol chose to let him go to make their workplace safe again.

“The show will continue its planned schedule and we’ll invite some of the biggest names in Indian music as guests to join Vishal and Neha to judge extraordinary talent of Indian Idol Season 10.”

This is not the first time that Anu Malik has been accused of sexual assault. In the 90s, singer Alisha Chinai took him to court for harassing her. She told Deccan Chronicle that,

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“Every word said and written about Anu Malik is true. I stand by all the women who have finally spoken up. May they find peace and closure in their lives.”

As the matter was settled after a few years, Malik was able to go back to his work and allegedly continued preying on singers, especially newcomers. Other composers and singers, who choose to remain unnamed, have criticised producers and filmmakers like Sajid Nadiadwala, Sajid Khan, J. P. Dutta, Gulzar and Rakeysh Mehra for working with him despite Malik’s reputation in the industry.

Indian Idol is a huge platform for the people who are trying to make a name for themselves as singers. But after multiple allegations of harassment, it looks like they’ve to seriously introspect to make sure every person gets a safe place to work in. As for Anu Malik, if the allegations are true, there’s no way to put it: his time’s up.

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