New Delhi: Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal has written to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur demanding the ouster of filmmaker Sajid Khan from the reality show ‘Bigg Boss 16’. The filmmaker’s participation on the show has created a huge uproar as the director was accused of sexual misconduct by nine women during the MeToo movement in 2018.
“Ten women had accused Sajid Khan of sexual harassment during the #MeToo movement. All these complaints show the disgusting mentality of Sajid. Now, this man has been given a place in Bigg Boss, which is wrong. I have written to @ianuragthakur to have Sajid Khan removed from this show,” Maliwal said in a tweet in Hindi on Monday.
Many celebrities including Sona Mahaptra, Uorfi Jved have spoken against his participation in the show. A petition has also been launched online for his removal from the sixteenth season of the reality show.
Devoleena Bhattacharjee is the latest celebrity to express her anger over Sajid’s participation in Bigg Boss.
Devoleena told Aaj Tak, “It is a simple thing – nine women cast allegations against Sajid Khan. Not all of those nine can be wrong. Tell me, will someone install a camera and then abuse? This is why women avoid complaining about these incidents. Even the parents are scared that society will prove the victim as a liar. It breaks my heart to see him on national television, trying to prove he is a hero. I feel bad thinking where is our society headed.”
Former Bigg Boss contestant Mandana Karimi, who was one of the women who accused Sajid, decided to end her association with Bollywood after Sajid became part of the show.
Mandana also says that she is not surprised that Sajid is back in the entertainment industry without facing any repercussions. “To be honest, I’m not surprised to see him back in the spotlight. For people, life has become like I will put my head under the sand. If it is going to benefit me, and I can make money, then who cares? That shows why the MeToo movement in India and many other countries didn’t really reach anywhere. It does make me feel sad. To be honest, that is also the reason I have not worked for the last seven months. I’m not working anymore. I didn’t go to any auditions. I don’t want to work in Bollywood. I don’t want to be involved with an industry where there is no respect for women, ” Karimi was quoted by a Hindustan Times report.
Sajid Khan received support from actors, including Shehnaaz Gill, Kashmera Shah and Payal Rohatgi.