It’s the same Mumbai-based woman, who had accused her brother of rape and extortion
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; August 23, 2019)

On Wednesday, TV actor Karan Oberoi’s sister, Gurbani Oberoi, moved the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate Court against a Mumbai-based tantric-andhealer, for allegedly practising witchcraft. This is the same woman who had accused Karan of rape and extortion in May, following which he was arrested and subsequently released on bail by the Bombay High Court. Gurbani told Bombay Times, “Her witchcraft practices are not a new development. My brother had mentioned it in his NC, which he had filed against her in October last year, seven months before she filed the case against him. She had threatened us with dire consequences and claimed that she was using witchcraft to cause my parents pain and suffering. Such women cannot be above the law.”

Karan adds, “I have suffered for a long time. While I had clearly mentioned her association with witchcraft in my complaint, no action has been taken against her till date. Practising witchcraft is a serious crime in Maharashtra, and one can’t get away using the gender card. Every time someone gets away with an unlawful practice, it emboldens the others to follow suit. For the good of society, it’s important to keep crime and punishment gender neutral. Initiatives like #MenToo are the need of the hour.”

Karan’s lawyer, Dinesh Tiwari tells us, “Propagating and promoting such theories in any form is illegal and that’s the ground of our complaint. Besides publishing a book on witchcraft and voodoo, she has been propagating it on chat groups and also teaching people. In fact, her lawyer, too, admitted that she indulges in such practises and even claimed to be a victim of it. This is good enough evidence and she is liable to be prosecuted and punished.”

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; June 18, 2019)

He gets emotional every time he narrates his month-long ordeal behind the bars, after being accused of rape and extortion by a tantrik-cum-healer.

But the experience hasn’t made Karan Oberoi bitter. The actor, who has become the poster boy of #Men-Too movement, says, “This isn’t against any other movement. In fact, it complements it. Women, too, suffer when men who are close to them, are implicated in false cases.” In an interview after his release from jail, Karan talks about his stay in prison, the support he got from friends and family, and his future plans. Excerpts...

You were arrested on May 5. What exactly happened on that day?
I was about to sleep around 10 pm, when the cops came to my house. They asked me to accompany them to the police station, but refused to divulge the reason. At first, I thought that it was a case of mistaken identity. At the station, the investigating officer asked me to submit my phone. After checking it, he told me about the rape charge. I told him that I am innocent, and in fact, I had filed an NC on October 17, 2018, citing harassment by the lady in question. However, he asked me to send for my laptop immediately. They didn’t even allow me to call anyone in the family, but fortunately, I managed to contact my sister, Gurbani.

When was the last time you contacted the complainant?
A few days before I filed the NC against her. She had called me, saying that she is in trouble. However, when I met her, she tried to hit me. That’s when I realised that she is beyond help and nothing could be done to change her mind.

The complainant has claimed that you were in a relationship with her. Is that true? How and where did you first meet her, and at what point did your association turn sour?
We met on a dating app, where she introduced herself as a healer and astrologer. Then we shifted to WhatsApp and slowly got talking. She did not tell me that she was into witchcraft and voodoo, but I soon realised that something was amiss. She would often tell me that I am a misfit and that I needed someone like her to protect me. These conversations started making me uncomfortable, and finally, she told me that she is a wiccan, who has been practising black magic and occult for years. She told me that she could change my destiny by giving me the power to control anyone in the industry. She also claimed that she could cause irreparable damage to anyone she wants to. So, a few months after meeting her, I told her that I wanted to end our association. In fact, I was so scared that I started avoiding her. Then one day, she told me that she wanted to end the occult practice and take up another profession; she wanted to start by designing my home. I was foolish enough to believe her, and even gave her some money to do up my home. I thought I was helping someone. She was extremely short-tempered and would flare up over petty things. After one such fight, she left the work mid-way and I had to ask somebody else to step in. But she had an issue with that, too. She landed up at my house, and alleged that she had been used, abused and discarded. But the matter didn’t end there. She would land up at my building and ask me to meet her. If I refused, she would threaten to harm my reputation. I tried to reason with her for the longest time, but finally, I asked the security guards to not allow her on the premises. Then, she started leaving gifts with the building’s security guards, and if I refused to take them, she would threaten to burn the gifts in front of the gate and create a huge tamasha. It was nothing short of a nightmare, and I didn’t know who to confide in. Once, my mother fell ill and we couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. Around that time, she called and asked me, if my mother was alright. When I broke down, she told me, ‘You don’t know my powers’. Four days later, my father, too, fell ill. That is when I surrendered in terms of accepting her calls. I was scared that she would harm my family. However, I blocked her calls, eventually. I also had to block her from social media because she would stalk me. Not the one to give up, she started texting me at random hours from different numbers. She once told me that she has slit her wrist and even threatened to have me booked for abetment of suicide. But no matter what she claims, I never promised her marriage. Looking back, I regret not converting the NC into an FIR.

According to her FIR, you raped her in January 2017 and also filmed the act, which she claims was used by you for extortion and blackmail...
That’s a figment of her imagination. If somebody rapes you, then you don’t text him saying, ‘Hi Sweety!’ Also, you won’t ask for sex or plead with the ‘rapist’ to answer your calls. Rape is a heinous crime and you can’t make these charges in a frivolous manner. Tell her to give the date when the rape happened. How can someone not remember the date of an incident of that magnitude? She knows that if she errs with the date, her charges will fall flat.

While your phone and laptop were seized immediately, the cops took time to confiscate her phones...
I was extremely upset. The police just acted on her story. Thank God that the reality came out after she staged an attack on herself (the complainant had alleged that she was attacked by two unknown bikers in Lokhandwala, who wanted her to withdraw the case. However, during the investigation, the police found the complainant and her lawyer Ali Kaashif Khan’s involvement in the attack).

You were in judicial custody for almost a month. Have you emerged stronger from that experience?
I was put in a circular barrack on the first floor, occupied by 92 inmates. The gates of the barracks are kept open for a few hours in the morning, so that you can walk around and stretch in the passage. You are not allowed to step out of the barrack and can’t even see sunlight. I spent my time reading books and writing one, too. In fact, I am in the process of finishing a book on my experience inside the jail. I saw a lot of people, who don’t have any support, suffering in jail. I don’t want anyone implicated in a false case to languish in jail, just because they don’t have the resources to secure a bail. Now, my mission is to fight for these voiceless people. I want to ensure that no human being suffers like I did. The system and process need a lot of reformation and corrective measures, and I will fight for that. The experience could have made me bitter, but I am grateful that it has made me hopeful and gentler. The support that I received from people outside helped me pull through.

You have emerged as the poster boy of the #MenToo movement. There is a certain section of people who feel that this movement could hamper the #MeToo movement. What’s your response to that?
I have been an advocate of both. The #MenToo movement is about justice and equality. In fact, it complements #MeToo. Take my case, for example. The whole episode was most traumatic for my mother and sister. #MenToo is the need of the hour. A society thrives when everybody lives in peace and harmony. #MenToo stands for the fact that if you file a false case, you can get into trouble, because every person who gets away with levelling false charges will encourage others to follow suit. When it comes to the #MeToo movement, I will fight for it shoulder-to-shoulder, but don’t persecute an innocent man and put him behind bars, because the agenda then gets diluted. That’s the point we are making with this movement. If we are suddenly going to answer years of patriarchy by creating an imbalance in the equation between men and women, we are asking for trouble. It will create discord between men and women. How would I know that the next woman I meet can be trusted and how can I safeguard myself, will be the questions that will haunt every man. This movement isn’t just about men, but about gender equality. In any case, people who are severely affected are the women in the family. Our empathy is towards the pain and not the gender.

Are you apprehensive that these charges could damage your career and reputation? Also, what are your future plans?
These charges were more damaging to my mind than my career. As far as the latter is concerned, I am doing fine, because offers are already coming in. I want to take my time to evaluate every offer. Meanwhile, I will continue writing my book. Besides, #MenToo is a mission I am not giving up on. In fact, nothing will take a back seat, be it singing, acting, writing, producing or directing.

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.

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; June 8, 2019)

TV actor Karan Oberoi, who was arrested on May 5 on charges of rape and extortion levelled against him by a tantrik-cum-healer, was granted bail on a bond of Rs 50,000 by the Bombay High Court yesterday. The judgment came a month after the actor was arrested and sent to judicial custody three days later (May 9) by the Andheri Magistrate Court.

The hearing, which was scheduled to take place on Thursday before the High Court, was postponed by a day after the public prosecutor asked for more time to go through the papers pertaining to the case.

Yesterday, in his argument before the judge, Karan’s lawyer Dinesh Tiwari said, “The applicant (Karan) got in touch with the complainant in October 2016, and he gave her money to refurbish his home. They grew closer and got into a consensual relationship with the passage of time. However, Karan decided to distance himself from her after he learnt that she is into black magic and occult practices. There was no commitment from Karan’s side to the complainant. She started making false allegations against him after she realised that he did not want to be with her. She filed an NC on October 25, 2018, but there is no mention of rape or extortion in it. There is also no mention of the place, date or time of the next two acts of rape that have allegedly taken place in her FIR. In fact, Karan had filed an NC 10 days before she filed a complaint.”

Dinesh also added that the woman would make demands for sex from Karan after he distanced himself from her. “She would call from different numbers every time he blocked her. She voluntarily gave him the gifts,” he stated.

Quoting the recent FIR lodged by the complainant on May 25 in which she claimed that she was attacked by three bike-borne people, who also threatened her to withdraw the case, the lawyer said, “Strangely, everything happens on the 25th. The attack was staged to delay his bail.”

After bail was granted, Dinesh told BT, “The court observed that the lady has been obsessed with the applicant, and the communication placed on record clearly indicates that it could not be a case of rape. After considering everything, bail has been granted. The judge also questioned why the complainant’s mobile phone hasn’t been seized.”

He added, “As soon as Karan is out, we will take everybody to task, including the complainant and the lawyer. Those responsible will have to pay a price for the ordeal that Karan went through in this one month. We will expose them for framing him in a false case. This should be a milestone for all those who have been wrongly accused. Karan should be out today (Saturday). He will be required to record his statement with the police station and provide them with all the material pertaining to the case.”

An ecstatic Gurbani Oberoi, Karan’s sister, shared, “I am so overwhelmed. It’s such a big relief. Finally, we have got justice.”