CINTAA officials Amit Behl, Sushant Singh, Vikram Gokhale

MUMBAI MIRROR (October 18, 2018)

After the Producers Guild of India and the Screenwriters Association, Cine and TV Artists Association (CINTAA) is setting up a committee to address sexual harassment complaints, which will have Raveena Tandon, Renuka Shahane and Amole Gupte as members, while a sub-committee is also in the offing with Swara Bhaskar.

On Wednesday, CINTAA president Vikram Gokhale, General Secretary Sushant Singh and Senior Joint Secretary Amit Behl revealed in a press conference that the committee will have over 50% representation by women. “We are drafting proper guidelines on sexual harassment following the Vishakha guidelines. This will define good conduct, misconduct and harassment for people in a comic book format,’ the trio informed.

Singh was one of the first celebrities to reach out to Vinta Nanda after her rape allegations against Alok Nath, promising, as a CINTAA official, to send a show-cause notice to the actor and urging her to file a complaint with the association. The body had also said that they will look thoroughly into the matter after Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexual harassment. Later, the body reportedly distanced itself from the matter, saying, “the constitution of the association does not allow us to look at cases that date back to more than three years.”

During the presser, Singh also revealed that Nana Patekar, who has been accused of sexual assault by Tanushree Dutta, is still a member of CINTAA. “So is Tanushree,” he pointed out, adding, “Their case is a legal one. Any action that can be taken is only after the investigation is over and the results are out. We can’t pronounce him guilty….”

When asked about the body’s role in sexual assault cases against its members, Gokhale stated, “As a union, the most we can do is revoke their membership. The fraternity has to take a call on whether they want to ban proven offenders. We do not have the right to take away work from anyone. It is illegal. The producers must make sure to take strict action against the offenders.”
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Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; October 18, 2018)

Following the deluge of sexual harassment complaints that are tumbling out in Bollywood, members of Cine And TV Artistes’ Association [CINTAA] have formed an internal committee that will address grievances. Raveena Tandon, Renuka Shahane and director Amole Gupte will be part of the committee that will work in close association with lawyers who specialise in PoSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment).

“We will offer counselling sessions to survivors, whose identities will be kept under wraps. We will also have open mic sessions where artistes can share their harassment stories,” said Sushant Singh, general secretary of CINTAA. Tandon said, “We are receiving several suggestions that will help in creating a safer workplace for women.” Vikram Gokhale, president, CINTAA, added, “We can only revoke their membership. The fraternity can decide whether they want to ban proven offenders from the industry.”