Juhi Chakraborty (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 5, 2020)

Practitioners of black magic, gold diggers, manipulative — these are some of the terms being used to generalise women from the Bengali community. All this, after Sushant Singh Rajput’s family lodged an FIR against his girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty. Following this, people on social media began to allege that Rhea practised black magic and pushed him to take his life.

“I was very angry at such statements. Because of Rhea, Bengali women are getting trolled. One girl is an alleged gold digger; we don’t even know the case. We don’t even know this girl’s story. How is it fair to blame all of us?” actor Koena Mitra asks.

Slamming the whole “Bengali women witch hunting” talk, actor Tanushree Dutta says, “This has been started by the self proclaimed men’s activist Barkha Trehan. She is an a** licker to morally bankrupt men and now she is maligning Bengali women. We are sexy, smart, classy, massy and awesome.”

Responding to how Bengali women “catch a big fish”, actor Swastika Mukherjee recently wrote, “Yes I prefer Rui or Bhetki, then fry it in mustard oil and finish it off with steaming rice with some green/red chillies.”

Actor Sayantani Ghosh feels it’s sad to see people succumb to the idea of such templates. “It shows how shallow, we as a race, have become. The funny part is that it’s the educated lot who believe such things. I did a reality show and an actor, a friend of mine, told me back then that I was performing well because I did black magic. Why is it difficult to accept that a person can be talented as well,” Ghosh says.

Actor Bidita Bag says, “Just because one Bengali woman has done something wrong and it hasn’t been proven as well, it does not mean you can label the entire Bengali community.”

Sreemoyee Piu Kundu, author and columnist, blames Bollywood and popular culture for misrepresenting Bengali women. “It is extremely clichéd and linear. Kaala jaadu is prevalent in all parts of India. The shaming of Bengali women is deplorable and how is this helping the (Rajput death) case? Why can’t we let justice take its own course, rather than go into the whataboutery. When you allow sexism and communalism, it is a dangerous cocktail of the worst kind of bigotry” she opines.

He was joined by friends Pooja Bedi, Sherrin Varghese and other supporters and equal rights activists at this peaceful protest
Ismat Tahseen (BOMBAY TIMES; June 16, 2019)

A large number of people from various fields, including actors and several men’s rights activists, gathered at the Azad Maidan, Mumbai, yesterday for a peaceful dharna to voice their support for the #MenToo movement. The purpose of this dharna was to create awareness about the misuse of law, in cases where men are falsely accused of rape and other such charges by women. Recently, TV actor Karan Oberoi was accused of rape and extortion by a tantrik-and-healer. He was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on June 7, about a month after his arrest.

Talking to Bombay Times, Karan said, “After being wrongly accused, I realised that I’m not the only one. There are so many men out there who are falsely accused. After being in prison for all those days, I can say that no one should go through such an ordeal ever. When I was in jail, the ones who suffered the most were my mother and sister. So, when you are fighting for men’s rights, you are also addressing the whole family that has been affected. I’m here today to support #MenToo, because I believe that justice shouldn’t be determined on the basis of one’s gender. Every man is vulnerable if the law is misused. We are fighting for gender-neutral laws here. When I was in jail, there were so many people fighting for me outside. However, there are many voiceless people, who do not have a support system, the means or money to help them. How can you just let them suffer for no fault of theirs? So, this fight is not just mine, and it doesn’t end with me getting out of jail.”

Pooja Bedi, who has been at the forefront of this movement and is one of Karan’s best friends and strongest supporters, said, “Movements like this are initiated because there is a need for it. There is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. What this movement needs at this point is support, visibility, and among many agendas, the most important one is to put a stop to fake cases. This is possible by modifying laws and strictly punishing those who file fake cases.”

The event, organised by a foundation, saw several known names lend their voices to the #MenToo movement, like equal rights activist Barkha Trehan, activist Amit Deshpande, theatre personality Dolly Thakore, Karan’s sister Gurbani, his friend Sherrin Varghese (member of Karan’s music band, A Band Of Boys; pictured right) and Maneck Contractor, among others. Said Sherrin, “I support my bandmate Karan Oberoi; it’s not about men or women, male or female, it’s about equality for all genders.”

Added Barkha Trehan, “I’m here to show support to all my innocent brothers who have been falsely implicated in fake cases. Their lives are ruined.”

Activist Amit Deshpande explained that the aftermath of such false cases could lead men to take drastic steps in their life. “These false cases affect men so badly that it even leads them to suicide. We have a suicide helpline for men and the maximum calls are from those who are falsely accused,” he said.