Anu Malik accused of sexual harassment

Someone joked on Twitter that this is the first original thing Anu Malik has been accused of doing in his lifetime of being known to be a professional tune-stealer. What he has done to these ladies is no joke, though. When Alisha Chinai accused Anu Malik of molesting her in the late 90’s, people called her crazy. Now we don’t know whether they called her crazy for speaking out or crazy as if she imagined this whole thing. But, she did do it and even dared to bring him to court. This is what happened:

When I sued (Anu) Malik, I fought it alone. It was an unprecedented landmark verdict and a restraining order was passed against him. The man has repeatedly begged for my forgiveness. I have chosen to forgive him and moved on. – Alisha Chinai

Since then, don’t know how many girls and women Anu Malik has sexually harassed. For over a week now, 4 women have come out to accuse him of sexual harassment. Popular singers Sona Mohapatra and Shweta Pandit are the first to kick the ball in this. No one from the music industry, male figures, have spoken out in her support. Like Shweta said,

Surprisingly, people from the film industry have reached out to me, but no man from the music industry stood up for me

In fact, lyricist Sameer claimed the molestation did not happen and that he supports Anu. This is what Shweta replied,

There are several mistakes in what he’s written. Why am I fighting this battle? Am I not fighting for their daughters’ future as well? Both, Anu and Sameer, have two daughters each, so this fight is also to ensure that they don’t face such harassment at the workplace.

‘Indian Idol’, the show that Anu has been working on for years, has claimed that they will not fire him over these two allegations.

Since then, more women have come out to accuse him of sexual harassment. Only then did Sony make the decision to fire Anu Malik from ‘Indian Idol’.

Here are the reasons why Anu Malik is being accused of sexual harassment:

Shweta Pandit

Anonymous 1

A then-aspiring singer recalled how she had met Malik in 1990 at Mehboob Studios where he was recording a song. She states that in the brief meeting, the music composer had “rubbed his body against me” and offered a meek apology when she appeared shaken by his advances. However, things took a turn for the worse days later, when she found herself coordinating with Malik for a fundraiser.

“My friend and I went to Neha Apartments [Malik’s house] in Juhu, upon Anu Malik’s request to discuss the fundraiser. He introduced us to his wife and Anmol, who was around eight months old. A few days later, he called me over to his house again for another meeting. Since my friend was not in the city, I went alone. After we had an informal chat in his music room, he moved the conversation to the lounge. Once there, he sat next to me on the sofa. I realised I was trapped as his family was not at home. He then lifted my skirt and dropped his pants. I thought of pushing him and rushing out the door, but he was too strong for me. Luckily, the doorbell rang at that moment.

Irritated, he told me to stay put and went to answer the door. In the seconds that he dealt with the delivery boy, I tried to leave. But he caught hold of me in the narrow passage. He apologised stating that he was a ‘passionate’ guy, and offered to drop me at my residence. He also dissuaded me from telling anyone, saying that no one would believe me as he was Anu Malik and I was a nobody. He also threatened to ‘know people’ if I went to the police station,” she recounts.

The situation spiralled downwards during their drive to her SoBo apartment. “Having moved to the city only three years ago, I had little idea of Bombay roads. It was around 8.30pm when he drove into a dark, empty maidan. Scared, I asked him where we were. But he simply unzipped his pants and asked me to lick him! I told him no and urged him to let me go, but he pulled me by my hair and stuffed my face in his lap, hurling abuses as he did so. Thankfully, a security guard tapped on the window at that moment. As he spoke to the guard, I unlocked my door and ran for my life.”

Anonymous 2

A budding singer was approached to participate in the ongoing Indian Idol 10 as a wild card entry. “I refused the offer because Anu Malik [one of the judges] has already damaged my career. I told them that I will not be judged by the talentless hack,” says the survivor, who accuses Malik of having sexually harassed her, seven years ago.

She recalls Malik being one of the several music composers she met during her struggling years as a singer. While her first meeting with him progressed smoothly, she was scarred by what transpired in the second meeting at Sahara Studios, Goregaon. “He asked me if I had a boyfriend. When I said ‘no’, he said, ‘Oh, so you don’t even have anyone to hold you, you must be so lonely.’ The comment was uncalled for. He then went on to say, ‘You should wear a chiffon sari next time you meet me.’

At this point, I knew it was time to leave. As I got up, he grabbed me and hugged me, all the while running his hands over my body. Panic struck me as I realised the recording studio was sound-proof and no one would hear me even if I screamed. I pushed him away and said, ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ The sick pervert immediately broke into his presumably rehearsed line: ‘No, I am happy with my wife, I am a sensitive man!’ I rushed out and was relieved to be out on the road and safe again. When I told a friend, who is a successful singer’s daughter, about the incident, she said, ‘Anu Mama strikes again.'”

Quiz her why she didn’t report the case to the cops and she says, “How would I prove what he did? I doubt there were any CCTV cameras back then. I was all alone in the city and taking up a police case was not something I could do.” mid-day called Malik and sent him a detailed text seeking his comment on the story. However, the music composer had not responded till the time of going to press.