‘Sanskaari’ Alok Nath In Dock After Writer Vinta Nanda’s #MeToo Post

Mumbai: A day after writer-producer Vinta Nanda posted details of sexual assaults on her on her Facebook account, the Cine and TV Artists Association (CINTAA) on Tuesday said that it would serve a show-cause notice on veteran actor Alok Nath.

Though Nanda did not name Nath in her post, she referred to “the most Sanskaari (cultured) person”, a sobriquet attached with the actor courtesy his on-screen image, as the sexual predator. She accused him of raping her more than once 19 years ago.

Nanda, who best known for the TV show ‘Tara’, said that when she told her friends about the incident, they asked her to keep mum and forget about it. Nath would use his influence and, continued to hound and sexually harass in the years to come which led to her “nervous breakdown”, she added.

She further alleged that Nath was fired from the show for misbehaving with its lead actor, Navneet Nishan.

Actor Richa Chadha was among the many people who named Nath as the person mentioned in Nanda’s post.

“#AlokNath,” wrote Chadha in response to the account.

Extending his support to Nanda, CINTAA general secretary Sushant Singh posted:

“Dear @vintananda I am so so sorry. As @CintaaOfficial a show-cause notice will be sent to @aloknath first thing in the morning, why he shouldn’t be expelled. Unf,ortunately we’ve to follow the due process. I urge you to file a complaint against this vile creature, we extend you full support.”

Among the latest expose in the #MeToo movement sweeping India, the name of Union Minister and former editor MJ Akbar is also doing the rounds. After Priya Ramani tweeted saying that he was the editor she had written about in a magazine article in October last year, more journalists have come out with sexual harassment allegations against him.

His boss and Union Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj,, however, did not respond when she was asked on Tuesday whether there will probe into those allegations.