Celebrities, long at the receiving end of social media trolls, are giving it back, more so to those who issue rape or death threats
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 19, 2020)

There’s no end to social media toxicity, but the recent incidents of celebrities getting rape and death threats on these platforms have raised an alarm, not just on women’s safety, but on trolls in general. Many celebs who were at the receiving end, tackled such incidents admirably.

Actor Alia Bhatt’s sister, author Shaheen Bhatt, named and shamed the people who issued them threats. “...to those of you who think it’s okay to send me or anyone messages full of hate: If you send me a message with the sole hope of humiliating, insulting, or bullying me.. I will NOT protect your identity.… I WILL use all legal recourse available..” Actor Rhea Chakraborty, girlfriend of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, too, shared a screenshot of an Instagram direct message, exposing the user’s profile name and picture.

POSITIVE EXAMPLE
Yogita Bhayana, founder of NGO PARI, shares that public figures speaking up is a good sign. “These celebs have the backing and should not take this nonsense at all. A normal girl might not feel empowered, but actors can speak up,” she says, adding she has faced such threats in the past.

Counselling psychologist Sachita Sethi concurs that when celebs make such a statement, it helps highlight the issue. “It’s good that celebs are coming out, they’ll be role models for youngsters.”

Emphasising that most trolls assume an anonymous identity, clinical psychologist Pulkit Sharma says, “It’s because of the medium that gives the comfort of lashing out without consequences.”

CASES ON THE RISE
Cyber bullying cases are, of late, more rampant. Rekha Sharma, chairperson, National Commission for Women (NCW) elaborates, “Since the lockdown started, NCW received 289 complaints on cyber crime and took suo motu cognisance of several cases on which it was tagged on Twitter. We need more trained police officials to help us solve these cases.”

Bhayana adds this is where the problem lies. “Even if you talk to experts, there are no clear guidelines. If you go to a police station, they’ll direct you to the cyber cell,” she says.

ACTORS hit back
Last month, actor Meera Chopra was left shaken after receiving threats from the fans of a popular Telugu actor. “It makes a difference to somebody’s psyche,” she asserts.

Actor Richa Chadha doesn’t take online bullying quietly, and says most people who issue violent threats online, rely on anonymity. “Some do it to get famous and end up in jail like Shubham Mishra (who gave rape threats to stand-up comic Agrima Joshua). Whatever we do online, has consequences,” she says.

And recently, actor Sonam Kapoor aka Sonam K Ahuja took to Instagram to share a death threat her sister, Rhea received. “Instagram doesn’t think death threats is a violation or their India team can’t read Hindi,” she wrote when they refused to take down the comment.
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ACTORS SIGN #INDIAAGAINSTABUSE PETITION
Recently, actor Kalki Koechlin told HT in an interview she had to ignore “toxic stuff” on the internet for her mental health. Now, she and actors Sayani Gupta, Dia Mirza, Sonam K Ahuja and Maanvi Gagroo have signed the #IndiaAgainstAbuse petition. On Instagram, they shared stories about rape and death threats women receive online, and asked their followers to join hands to make social media safe for them again.

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; May 20, 2020)

A day after TikTok star Faizal Siddiqui drew sharp criticism and social media ire for posting a video that allegedly glorified acid attacks, the video-sharing social networking service has suspended his account. The video, too, was pulled down after it caught attention for all the wrong reasons.

A TikTok spokesperson said, “Keeping people on TikTok safe is a top priority and what is not acceptable on our platform has been made clear in our Term of Service and Community Guidelines. As per the policy, we do not allow content that risks the safety of others, promotes physical harm or glorifies violence against women. The behaviour in question violates our guidelines and we have taken down content, suspended the account, and are working with law enforcement agencies as appropriate.”

On Monday, the National Commission for Women (NCW), too, had taken cognisance of the matter. They had asked the social networking platform to block the user after the video was deleted.

To those uninitiated, Faizal, who has many followers on social media, posted a video, where he can be seen saying, “Usne tumhe chhod diya? Jiske liye tumne mujhe chhoda tha...” and throws a liquid — purportedly acid — on a girl, who is wearing heavy make-up that looks like burn marks.

He later issued a statement, saying, “My intention was never to hurt anyone in any capacity. As a social media influencer, I realise my responsibility and apologise to anyone who was offended by the video.”

Complainant writes to National Commission for Women detailing assault that allegedly happened in 1990; choreographer denies allegation
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 5, 2020)

Barely a week after an assistant dancer filed an FIR against Ganesh Acharya, another senior background dancer approached the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Tuesday alleging sexual abuse at the hands of the Bollywood choreographer in 1990.

Acharya denied the second set of allegations too, saying he is being maligned. In her letter addressed to the NCW, the woman stated that Acharya coerced her into having sex with him in 1990.

"It happened to me three decades ago. I have been married and have had kids, but he hasn't changed one bit. When I read about the FIR, I knew I had to speak up too. In 1990, I used to go to Sahiba hall in Andheri West where several masters take dance classes. Acharya used to assist Kamal masterji. I was 18 then and working as a non-member dancer," the woman told mid-day.

"One day, Acharya said it's mandatory to learn Jive for auditions and invited me to his class in Santacruz East. Classes were held on Sundays at 11 am. His assistant Dilip picked me up from Khar subway and dropped me to a room on the first floor of Hotel East and West. I did not suspect anything till that point," she said.

"There were no other students. Acharya said Dilip has gone to bring the sound system and other students. On the pretext of teaching me Jive, he kissed my neck and cheeks.

"When I resisted, he threw me on the bed and said he wanted to make love to me and marry me. I kept saying no but he kept moving his hands over my body. I was too terrified and told him I am on my period. He finally got off from me and said, 'Kya yaar, mood kharab kar diya'," the woman said.

The woman ran out of the hotel and did not return to his class. "He got other students to call me and ask what the problem was. He said he was willing to waive off the fees. I know another person with whom he tried something similar. It's shocking that he is still misusing his power," she said in her complaint.

The first complainant said that there must be many more with whom he is doing the same. "He can claim that people are trying to malign him, but there are many with similar stories."

"It has been 30 years since the incident, but my anger hasn't gone. I never told anyone about his behaviour and the incident except my husband. It's time that we women speak up", the latest complainant said.

Acharya's response
Acharya told mid-day that these are concocted stories part of a conspiracy against him. "I have explained in a press conference that some people are tarnishing my image because I took a stand against them. They control trade unions in the industry. My stand against them and in the interest of dancers is causing them losses. Everyone involved in these wrongdoings against me will be exposed. They may do many such things against me, but I will not give up," he said.

National Commission of Women states decision taken after complainant failed to furnish ‘communication/substantial evidence’; Chairperson Rekha Sharma says they’re willing to reopen case if she comes forward or brings more evidence
Roshmila Bhattacharya and Alka Dhupkar (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 17, 2020)

Anu Malik has been mired in controversy over the last two years, since the #MeToo movement exploded in India. He was forced to step down as the judge of the singing reality show, Indian Idol, after being called out by several women, including singers Sona Mohapatra, Shweta Pandit, Caralisa Monteiro, Neha Bhasin and former Indian Idol producer Danica D’Souza. After his return for the 11th season of the Sony TV show last November, the makers were slammed for taking him back.

Anu responded with an open letter on November 14, saying, “Ever since the false and unverified allegations were levelled against me, it has not only ruined my reputation, but affected me and my family’s mental health, left us traumatised and tarnished my career. I feel helpless, like I am being cornered and suffocated… The show must go on. But behind this happy face, I’m in pain. I’m in a dark space. And justice is all I want.”

Sona reacted with an open letter of her own, stating, “‘Unverified’ allegations, you say? These are multiple testimonies of independent, sane women, speaking coherently & they have a common thread & story.” She stated that he had no right to be platformed on National TV till he made amends. “You aren’t a role model. You could always take a break, go to a sex-rehab or counselling or somewhere to reflect on how to behave better.” She ended by telling him to step down, go to court.

Following this, Sony Entertainment Television announced that Anu had conveyed to the channel that he wants to step down till his name is cleared. While Sona had welcomed the move, Anu had refused to comment.

Now, Mirror is in possession of a letter dated January 3, 2020, written by Barnali Shome, Under Secretary, National Commission for Women, to Madhuri Malhotra, head, Standards & Practices, Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited, stating that the NCW had taken cognizance of Sona’s Twitter post, wherein it was alleged that ignoring the testimonies of multiple women of sexual harassment and assault, a person (Anu Malik) was made “a judge for youngsters on national television”.

“The Commission is in receipt of your response dated 06/12/2019 in the matter. In view of the above, I am directed to apprise you that the Commission has closed the case due to lack of communication/ substantial evidence sought from the complainant,” the letter states.

When Mirror spoke to Rekha Sharma, chairperson, NCW, she confirmed that a week ago the letter had been sent to Anu Malik. “Responding to a complaint, we wrote to the complainant. She said she was traveling and whenever she returns, she will visit us. We waited for around 45 days. We had also asked for some documents, but after that she never responded. The complainant had informed us that there are more women who have complaints against Anu Malik and we told her that they can also file a complaint with us but none of them have responded yet. This is not a permanent closure of the case. If the complainant comes forward or brings more evidence or submits any kind of document, we can reopen it.”

Women's Commission registers case, to file FIR against Nana Patekar, Vivek Agnihotri in Delhi Crime branch; urges Tanushree Dutta to lodge fresh appeal
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; October 5, 2018)

A day after Nana Patekar and Vivek Agnihotri slapped legal notices on Tanushree Dutta, the National Commission for Women (NCW), Delhi, rushed to her defense. mid-day has learnt that a third party case was registered with the NCW by advocate Gaurav Gulati yesterday.

The complainant urged the women's body to take cognisance of the sexual harassment allegations levelled by Dutta, against Patekar and Agnihotri. He also requested the organisation to register an FIR independently with the Delhi Crime branch on the matter as the "respondent is politically activated and can affect investigation in Maharashtra (sic)".

The accused in the complaint include Patekar, Horn Ok Pleassss (2008) producer Sami Siddiqui, director Rakesh Sarang and choreographer Ganesh Acharya. Agnihotri, who according to Dutta, had asked her to strip behind the camera during the shoot of Chocolate (2005), is also among the accused.

The complaint states, "Tanushree Dutta was harassed on the sets of Horn Ok Pleassss... CINTAA, too, refused to adhere to the laid down guidelines of the laws regarding sexual harassment at workplace (Vishaka & Ors v. State of Rajasthan, 1997). As per the CRPC and Limitation act, there is no bar for registering a case on sexual offences if the victim gives reasonable justification for delay."

When we reached out to NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma, her office confirmed the development, stating, "The complaint was received at 4 pm yesterday. The investigation will begin today. It would be advisable if the victim backs the complaint to expedite the process."

Dutta remained unavailable for comment.

Censor Board directs makers of Sanjay Dutt biopic to eliminate overflowing prison toilet scene citing aesthetic reasons
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 28, 2018)

Rajkumar Hirani's Sanju was shown to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) last week and the movie has been cleared with just one cut. The makers of the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer have been asked to remove the scene with an overflowing prison toilet for aesthetic reasons. A source from the Censor Board says, "The scene wasn't adding value to the narrative besides displaying the helpless situation of the protagonist. It was a judgment call taken from an artistic point of view which the filmmakers agreed to."

Activist Prithvi Mhaske, who wrote a letter to the CBFC condemning the scene, is content with the Board's decision. "I was constantly taking legal advice on the matter. It is not favourable that something that shows the country and its administration in the wrong light, be passed. I was in touch with the CBFC and they assured me that my objection would be taken up with the makers of Sanju and addressed. The reason why the scene was cut is confidential information and will be given to me in a response, officially signed by CBFC chairperson Prasoon Joshi," says Maske.

In an interview to mid-day, Rajkumar Hirani had claimed authenticity of the scene, saying, "The scene is from Sanju's earlier stint in jail. It happened in 1993, during the monsoon. On that particular day, the drain in his cell overflowed due to heavy rains."

We messaged Hirani, but he didn't respond till the time of filing the report.

Complaint filed against Ranbir, Anushka
Yesterday, activist Gaurav Gulati filed a complaint against Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma at the National Commission for Women (NCW), for making derogatory remarks against sex workers in the trailer of Sanju. The complaint (mid-day has a copy) claims that a few dialogues in the trailer are anti-women. Citing an instance, the activist refers to the scene where Sharma asks Kapoor, "Apni biwi ke alawa kitni auraton ke saath soye ho?" To which he replies, "Prostitutes ko ginun ya unko alag..." The complaint also includes Vicky Kaushal's dialogue, "Ghee che toh ghapa ghap che..." Gulati says that such statements in a big film undo the work done towards the upliftment of sex workers and calls for the inclusion of a disclaimer in the film’s credits.

Following a complaint registered by a Delhi-based advocate with the National Commission for Women
Nishi Tiwari (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 31, 2017)

Over a week since excerpts from Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s memoir, An Ordinary Life, started doing the media rounds, the actor, and his publisher, Penguin Random House India, have decided to pull the book off the stands following its much-hyped October 25 release.

The news came close on the heels of reports that Delhi based advocate Gautam Gulati has registered a complaint with the National Commission for Women (NCW) for outraging the modesty of Nawaz’s Miss Lovely co-star, Niharika Singh.

The publishers confirmed that the book has been recalled but refused to divulge further details. Nawaz share on Twitter, “I am apologising to everyone whose sentiments are hurt because of the chaos around my memoir, An Ordinary Life. I hereby regret and decide to withdraw my book.”

Gulati was quoted as saying, “I don’t know Niharika Singh personally nor have I spoken to her. I have lodged a complaint with NCW with a request to give direction for the registration of FIR under sections 376 (rape), 497 (adultery) and 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of IPC. He was evidently married when he was having an affair with Niharika and kept her in the dark about it.”

Snippets from Nawaz’s tell-all memoir assumed a life of their own, when people mentioned in them pleaded misrepresentation. Niharika Singh, who met the actor on the sets of Ashim Ahluwalia’s 2012 film, Miss Lovely, wrote a scathing rebuttal to his claims that they dated for over a year. “Nawaz and I had a brief relationship in 2009 during the making of Miss Lovely that lasted less than a few months. So today when he paints me as a woman in fur enticing him into her bedroom with candles, or desperately calling him and mailing other women on his behalf, I can only laugh. He obviously wants to sell his book and it would appear that he is willing to exploit and disrespect a woman just to do so,” the actress clarified in a Facebook post.

This was followed by another rebuttal from Sunita Rajwar, Nawaz’s first girlfriend and a fellow NSD graduate. Calling him a perennial “sympathy seeker”, she wrote in her own Facebook post, “I did not leave you because you were poor, but because of your poor way of thinking.”

Rituparna Chatterjee, the US-based author of the book, remained unavalaible for comment.

On condition of anonymity, a publishing professional told Mirror that the book should’ve masked the identities of all parties involved and also sought their permission before publishing details of their interactions with Nawaz.
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Fearing legal repercussions to his raunchy expose, actor withdraws copies of his memoir from bookshelves to rewrite his story
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; October 31, 2017)

It has been a trumatic week for Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who faced severe backlash after mid-day published explosive excerpts from his tell-all biography, An Ordinary Life: A Memoir, about his affair with Niharika Singh. In a dramatic move, the actor took to his Twitter yesterday to announce that he was withdrawing his memoir in the light of events that transpired over the past few days.

Siddiqui wrote, “I am apologizing to everyone whose sentiments are hurt because of the chaos around my memoir #AnOrdinaryLife. I hereby regret and decide to withdraw my book. (grammar corrected)”

He found himself in the eye of the storm ever since the excerpts were exclusively published in mid- day. Close on the heels of his raunchy confessions, Niharika Singh had slammed the actor in an interview to midday (October 25), where she claimed that she was considering legal action.

On October 29, Delhi advocate Gautam Gulati lodged a complaint with National Women’s Commision, requesting for an FIR to be filed against him for adultery, rape and ‘insulting the modesty of a woman.’

Sources close to the actor reveal that the decision to withdraw the book was not a knee-jerk reaction. “He is deeply upset with the reactions that have come in. A senior Bollywood star was supposed to grace the book launch, but backed out following the controversy. NCW too has summoned him following the complaint. To avoid any further mess, he thought it best to withdraw the book,” revealed a source.

The publishing house, Penguin-Viking, had printed nearly 4000 copies, of which about 2000 have been already sold off from e-commerce websites. The publishers have now requested the sellers to return the remaining copies.

The spokesperson of the publishing house confirmed the same. However, insiders in the publishing house claim that the memoir will now be rewritten in parts, with the focus firmly on his journey from Muzaffarnagar to Bollywood. “A conversation has been initiated with Rituparna Chatterjee [co- author of the memoir]. All details of his marriage and personal life will be removed in the new version,” added the source. Chatterjee, on her part, told mid- day, “It’s way too early to comment.”

Miss Lovely actor Singh didn’t respond to our message till the time of going to press. As far as his legal case is concerned, advocate Rizwan Siddiquee representing the actor said, “The complaint made to the NCW is baseless. He has 48 hours to withdraw it.”