After IFTDA announces one-year suspension for #MeToo accused Sajid Khan, body's president Ashoke Pandit promises 'speedy trial' in Alok Nath case
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 13, 2018)

In a decision that shows that the #MeToo movement has sparked off a much-needed change, the Indian Films & Television Directors' Association (IFTDA) announced a one-year suspension for Sajid Khan. The filmmaker was accused of sexual harassment by actor Rachel White, assistant director Saloni Chopra and a journalist, among others.

Speaking to mid-day, Ashoke Pandit, president of IFTDA, asserted that the organisation will now train its sight on the other case at hand - that against actor Alok Nath.

"We have gone into the depth of the matter here. Next on our agenda is Vinta Nanda's case against Alok Nath. We will move to it in the next five days, and ensure a speedy trial on the matter," says Pandit, who had set up an Internal Complaints' Committee (ICC) in keeping with the POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment at the Workplace) guidelines to look into Khan's case.

He further asserts that the organisation is planning to join forces with several studios in Mumbai to pre-empt cases of this nature. "We have a senior counsel on board, and with them, we will be doing educational sessions in film schools. We will also be speaking to studio spaces like Mehboob, Film City, Kamalistan and ND Studios to ensure that they set up an ICC and a committee for women employees, lest an unfortunate incident happens at any workplace."

Meanwhile, White - one of the survivors who outed Khan - told mid-day that she was expecting a more drastic move: "Several women have named him, so it's not one person's word against the other's. We had sent detailed e-mails but weren't kept in the loop about the ruling. I have an issue with the fact that there is no clarity on how they came to the decision. That's only a fair expectation from a woman who took the risk to come out with a personal account. However, the step is a much-needed beginning. It hurts that Sajid has denied all charges."

Khan remained unavailable for comment.