Singer-composer Kailash Kher says the news about a female journalist accusing him of harassment has left him extremely disappointed. While he says he is neither aware nor remembers the incident, he asserts that he respects humanity, especially women.
Last month, actress Tanushree Dutta had revived her decade-old sexual harassment controversy. She had accused actor Nana Patekar of sexual harassment. Following this, many other victims in various fields have opened up about their experiences.
One of them, a female journalist, accused Kailash of harassment. She said: "This creep kept his hand on my thigh."
In his defense, Kailash said in a statement to IANS: "For all those who know me and have come across me, will know how much I respect humanity, especially women, even more for the ones who work in media since their work is difficult."
When the news emerged this weekend, he was in Patna for a gig.
"I was travelling and when I heard about this news, I got extremely disappointed to know what my state of happiness has been taken for. I am neither aware of any such act that has been mentioned nor remember it.
Kher also offered an apology in his statement, saying he regrets any unintentional behaviour on his part that may have made the complainant uncomfortable: "I am almost all the time in my own simple world, but in case anyone has taken or thought something differently about anything, then it is my sincere apology. My devotion to music makes me who I am and I am thankful for all the love and support," IANS quoted him as saying.
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— Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018
My #MeToo has singer Kailesh Kher & model Zulfi Syed, from when I was a newly appointed young woman photographer at Hindustan Times in Bombay, 2006.
Tweeting this thread for all to draw strength & speak out
❤️@photowallah@shubhangisapien@TheRestlessQuil@AnooBhu@weeny
"For all those who know me and have come across me, will know how much I respect humanity, especially women, even more for the ones who work in media since their work is difficult," Kailash Kher added in his statement.
The journalist in question has also accused model-actor Zulfi Syed of sexual misconduct in her tweets, alleging that he "forcibly" kissed her in his room after an event which she was covering as the designated photographer. Meanwhile, Kailash Kher has been accused by another woman of asking for her personal contact and repeatedly inviting her to his hotel room in Kolkata.
(5)#MeToo
— Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018
The near sexual assault episode with Zulfi Syed occurred on a cruise liner. A bunch of press photographers, journalists, models and people were invited on board overnight as a PR exercise. I was there with a woman colleague to shoot the entire event.
Two weeks ago, Tanushree Dutta renewed a decade-old charge of harassment against Nana Patekar. She has now filed a police complaint. Filmmaker Vikas Bahl and actor Rajat Kapoor have also been outed as alleged predators.
Earlier this year, social media accused singer Papon of "inappropriately kissing" a young contestant during a Facebook Live video, whom he was mentoring on the reality show Voice India Kids, following which he quit the show and apologised but blamed the controversy on "faulty camera angles and accident."
