MeToo movement in India

[1] Me Too began gaining prominence in India with the increasing popularity of the international movement, and later gathered sharp momentum in October 2018 in the entertainment industry of Bollywood, centered in Mumbai, when actress Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexual harassment.

[2] This led to many women in the news media, Indian films, and even within the government to speak out and bring allegations of sexual harassment against a number of perpetrators.

[3] MeToo movement was founded by Tarana Burke but began as a social phenomenon in October 2017 as a hashtag started by American actress Alyssa Milano who shared her story of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein.

After allegations against Harvey Weinstein, the use of the #MeToo hashtag on social spread quickly in India,[5][6] where sexual harassment is commonly referred to by the word 'eve-teasing', a term described as misleading, tame, and diluting the seriousness of the crime.

[6][9][10] Others have suggested there was underlying public anger over a Delhi rape conviction that was overturned by Judge Ashutosh Kumar a month before against filmmaker and writer Mahmood Farooqui, ruling that a "feeble no" was not enough to revoke consent because it was typical for one partner to be less willing.

"[11][9][12] Activist Jasmeen Patheja, head of Blank Noise, stated #MeToo's power is in demonstrating India can no longer ignore the scope of the problem.

[10] Blogger Sheena Dabolkar's viral #MeToo tweet resulted in the boycott of Khodu Irani's popular Pune pub High Spirits, by several well-known performers.

The List was posted on 24 October 2017 by activist Inji Pennu and an Indian student in California named Raya Sarkar, who alleged they personally confirmed every incident.

[19] On 26 September 2018, after having been out of the Bollywood spotlight for about a decade, actress Tanushree Dutta gave an interview to Zoom TV in which she publicly accused Nana Patekar of sexually harassing her on the set of the 2009 movie Horn 'Ok' Pleassss.

[23][24] This declaration would be seen as the catalyst of the Me Too movement in India, similar to one which happened in the U.S. a year earlier with Harvey Weinstein, in which more and more women in the entertainment industry would publicly expose high-profile individuals who had sexually exploited them.

It was not until her September 2018 statements that the CINTAA apologized to Dutta, admitting that the "chief grievance of sexual harassment wasn't even addressed [in 2008]", but added that since the case was more than three years old, they could not reopen it.

[40] On 6 October 2018, Dutta filed an FIR at Oshiwara police station against actor Nana Patekar, director Rakesh Sarang, choreographer Ganesh Acharya, and producer Sami Siddiqui.

[41] In mid-October, Dutta sought the help of the Maharashtra State Women's Commission (MSWC) in order to conduct a full-scale investigation on the issue; they sent notices to Nana Patekar, director Rakesh Sarang and choreographer Ganesh Acharya, whom they directed to respond within 10 days.

[85] Several comedians within his circle, including Kunal Kamra and Tanmay Bhat, knew about his habit of harassing underage girls but opted to keep quiet and work with him.

[90][91] On 12 October 2018, after accusations from several women of abusive and perversive sexual behavior, director Sajid Khan announced that he would step back from the production of his upcoming film Housefull 4 until he could clear his name.

"[96] In December 2018, Sajid Khan was suspended from IFTDA (Indian Film and Television Director's Association) for one year, following the accusations of sexual assault against him from three women.

[100][101] Subsequently, actresses Renuka Shahane, Himani Shivpuri, Sandhya Mridul, and Deepika Amin have either admitted to knowing about Nath's predatory behaviour or written about instances where they themselves have been assaulted by him.

In response to Alok Nath's lawsuit, on 15 October Vinta Nanda's lawyer responded: "She will not be intimidated by threats and defamation suits which are primarily meant to delay and distract from the gravity of the allegations."

"[108] On 16 October 2018, entertainment talent management agency KWAN announced that founder Anirban Blah had been asked to step down after four women publicly accused him of harassment.

Following this, Sindhuja Rajaram, an artist, photographer, and musician based in California, United States, also accused Vairamuthu and detailed the harassment she faced due to him.

In December 2018, the Indian Film and Television Directors Association (IFTDA) announced that it was suspending Sajid Khan for a year due to the multiple sexual harassment allegations, by actresses Saloni Chopra and Rachel White and journalist Karishma Upadhyay.

[157] A three-judge internal investigation committee had given him clean chit[158] but was severely criticised for being opaque, unfair and one-sided, thus violating principles of natural justice.

[172][173][174] The committee also reportedly observed that Liang had faced complaints of sexual harassment at the Alternative Law Forum (ALF), an NGO he founded and previously worked in.

[175] In response, the complainant (speaking anonymously to the press) criticised the punishment meted out by the committee as “inadequate” in light of the “repeat sexual assaults” she had allegedly suffered from.

[145] In addition, laws against defamation in India allow the prosecution of women who are unable to prove their allegations, with a maximum jail term of two years, while the First Amendment protects such rights in the United States.

[145] As a result, activists began to work towards strengthening the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, which was implemented poorly since its establishment.

[145] As of mid-October 2018, the social "Me Too" campaign of India has continued to grow and be covered by major media outlets as a topic of importance, with victims outing their abusers on a regular basis.

[185] The movement has since resulted in major social consequences for several of those accused, such as firing or resignation from their jobs, condemnation and disassociation from members of their respective industries, and indignation against their actions from their fans and/or the public at large.

Scholar Shamika Dixit coined the term 'imagined constraints' to describe the limitations of social media platforms, which discouraged many Indian women from speaking out.

[189] As an analogy, he mentioned that feminism has evolved over time due to this type of criticism: "Me Too movement needs more nuanced and richer conversations which have space for debate, disagreement and dissent.