Samarth Goyal (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 7, 2019)

There has been a huge uproar ever since Anu Malik was reinstated as one of the judges on singing reality show Indian Idol. The music composer stepped down last year as multiple women accused him of sexually harassing them. After the fresh controversy, reports indicate the 59-year-old composer will be asked to step down, again.

“Anu Malik may be shown the door in the next few weeks. They thought the backlash against him had died down. They never anticipated this new rising roar of protest against his return to the show,” a source was quoted as saying by Deccan Chronicle.

Last week, the chorus against Malik touched a higher octave after singer Neha Bhasin too accused him of harassing her 15 years ago, when she was 21. Welcoming the speculation that Malik might soon get the boot from the show, Bhasin says, “I am grateful if it’s not speculation. It will prove that Sony TV is listening. My coming out will not be seen as embarrassing, but something that goes down in history as making a difference. He does not deserve to be where he is at Indian Idol and I feel the contestants are not safe with a person like him, as he can’t help but exploit people. I hope they can set an example for the industry which is losing credibility with all the [harassment] stories.”

Sona Mohapatra, one of the first singers to have accused Malik of harassment, feels “many changes” will come in “due course” of time, and promises to fight “on”.

We contacted Malik, who said “no comments” on rumours of him not being part of the show. But he added, “Indian Idol has become the biggest, craziest show ever, and that speaks for itself.”

We also tried to reach Sony TV for confirmation, but got no response from the channel till the time of going to press.