Addressing allegations of sexual harassment against her father, senior journalist Vinod Dua, actor-comic star Mallika Dua has pledged solidarity with the #MeToo movement and says she will let him take up the fight.
Mallika issued a statement on Instagram in response, asserting that Jain dragging her name into the controversy was "in terrible taste".
Addressing allegations of sexual harassment against her father, senior journalist Vinod Dua, actor-comic star Mallika Dua has pledged solidarity with the #MeToo movement and says she will let him take up the fight.
"If at all my father is truly guilty of what you described, it is unacceptable, traumatic and painful," Mallika said on Sunday in response to documentary filmmaker Nishtha Jain's allegation that Vinod Dua had harassed and stalked her almost three decades ago.
Referencing Akshay Kumar's off-colour remark at Mallika on a comedy reality TV show that had enraged Vinod Dua, Jain put out a lengthy Facebook post on Saturday, calling out the media personality for his sexism from years ago.
She also named Mallika in her allegations.
Mallika issued a statement on Instagram in response, asserting that Jain dragging her name into the controversy was "in terrible taste".
"I am in solidarity with the movement and in support of the voices but your dragging my name into this was in terrible taste," she said.
The onus of the "battle" was not on her, Mallika said, adding that she would deal with the case in her way and on her time.
"This is not my battle to fight. It바카라s not my responsibility or my shame or my burden. I will deal with this my way and on my time. Stop forcing women to give statements for your entertainment.
"I stand with the movement and will not let its objectives, ideals and purpose be hijacked by the shamers. This is my dad바카라s battle, I will let him fight it and I will stand by him."
She said she would not let right winger trolls and others make the controversy about her.
"I바카라m still going to stand up against bigotry, misogyny, stand up for survivors, and for whatever the hell I believe in. Nothing gets to kill my vibe and I'm not sorry," she added.
Jain apologised to Mallika for 바카라inadvertently바카라 shaming her.
바카라I had no such intention. Thanks for friends and supporters for pointing this out. She바카라s in no way responsible for her father바카라s acts. However, I do hope she바카라ll be able to believe me, empathise with me as well as the other women he has harassed,바카라 she wrote on Facebook.
Dua's current employer The Wire addressed the claims in a statement Sunday.
"We have seen Nishtha Jain바카라s Facebook post where she accuses Vinod Dua, a consulting editor of The Wire, of an incident of sexual harassment in 1989. Dua denies the charge.
"Though the incident pertains to 26 years before Mr Dua바카라s association with The Wire, our ICC has taken note of Ms Jain바카라s allegation. We await the outcome of their deliberations in the matter," the statement read.
PTI