The head of the Delhi Commission for Women, Swati Maliwal, has written to Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur, requesting that MeToo-accused Bollywood filmmaker Sajid Khan be removed from the forthcoming season of the reality show Bigg Boss.
DCW chief Swati Maliwal wrote in a letter addressed on Monday that the minister should take action and that under no circumstances should a person like Sajid Khan be permitted to participate in television reality shows.
Sharing the letter on Twitter, Swati Maliwal wrote, “Sajid Khan was accused of sexual harassment by 10 women during the #MeToo movement. All these complaints show the disgusting mentality of Sajid. Now such a person has been given a place in Bigg Boss which is completely wrong. I have written a letter to @ianuragthakur Ji to get Sajid Khan removed from this show!”
साजिद खान के ख़िलाफ़ 10 महिलाओं ने #MeToo मूव्मेंट के दौरान यौन शोषण के आरोप लगाए थे। ये सभी कम्प्लेंट साजिद की घिनौनी मानसिकता दिखाती है। अब ऐसे आदमी को Bigg Boss में जगह दी गयी है जो कि पूरी तरह ग़लत है। मैंने @ianuragthakur जी को पत्र लिखा है की साजिद खान को इस शो से हटवाएँ! pic.twitter.com/4ao9elyvkk
— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) October 10, 2022
Mentioning the names of the victims who accused Sajid Khan of sexual misconduct at the office place and otherwise, Swati wrote, “As the complaints against him reveal, it appears that Sajid Khan has acted as a sexual predator for a long time. Clearly, it is inappropriate for an alleged sexual offender such as Sajid Khan to be included in a primetime show which is watched by adults and children alike. This apparently gives him an undue opportunity to ‘whitewash’ his wrongs and be re-launched amongst Indian audiences.
“His inclusion in the show underlines the precedence that men who enjoy clout in the entertainment industry easily get away with abusive acts without facing any consequences. It also disrespects and invalidates those women who spoke out against his inappropriate sexual advance. They are upcoming celebrities in Hollywood and risked their career to come forward and complain against abuse by an authority figure,” the letter further reads.
Sajid Khan, a Bollywood filmmaker who was sidelined in the profession after sexual harassment allegations were levelled against him, is making a comeback on the reality show Bigg Boss. Following the news of Sajid’s participation in Bigg Boss, there has been much outrage, especially on social media and everywhere else.
During the 2018 MeToo movement, which saw women speak out about sexual harassment, Rachel White, Saloni Chopra, Sherlyn Chopra, Aahana Kumra, and Mandana Karimi, among others, made claims. Sherlyn Chopra disclosed distressing information about filmmaker Sajid Khan, such as being forced to touch his private parts.
