#MeToo: Suhel Seth faces harassment charges, accused of power abuse

Twitter/@suhelseth

New Delhi: The increasing popularity of the #MeToo movement has led more and more women to come up with incidents of sexual harassment that they have faced so far, some of which even involving several renowned personalities.

As the #MeToo movement gains momentum in India, a film director and creative producer shared a number of screenshots of a lengthy WhatsApp message sent to socialite and marketing consultant Suhel Seth recalling an experience she had 'buried deeply'.

The woman alleged that despite her persistent declining, Seth asked her to join him for an ice cream in Janpath.

"You used your power to take me home instead. You then threw yourself at me although I was clearly uncomfortable. You shoved your tongue in my throat even when I resisted - I whacked your head and said 'behave yourself'. You put your hand into my kurta and grabbed my breast," she alleged. 

She further wrote that she somehow managed to stop him and went to the washroom.

"Thank you for not raping me that night. Thank you for sending your driver to drop me home… Over time, I've learnt to manage you. But no woman should ever have to ‘manage' the misuse of power and ‘manage' being sexually assaulted," she wrote. 

"You have abused your power for years on end. With what I've seen at a close range, if every woman you've ever laid hands on starts to speak up, I assure you, there will be at least 1,000 women who will say Suhel Seth? Yes. #MeToo. It ends here," she added. 

She maintained that she had come out and spoken up not for want of publicity or money, but because she wanted a 'closure'. The screenshots were of a message sent directly to Seth in which the woman recalled her harrowing experience. 

The #MeeToo movement first began in 2017 in Hollywood just a few days after The New York Times and The New Yorker published scores of stories about decades-long predation of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.

This movement gained momentum in India after a number of women from different fields of work revealed their stories of harassment and leveled an allegation against many known personalities. It started with Tanushree Dutta accusing veteran actor Nana Patekar of harassment on the sets of a movie.

Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta, on September 26, alleged that she was harassed by veteran actor Nana Patekar while shooting for a special dance number in a 2008 film.

The former beauty queen also accused dance choreographer Ganesh Acharya of teaming up against her. She alleged that she and her family were attacked by members of a political party after she refused to perform the intimate step.

(With inputs from agencies)