After Sona Mohapatra, singer Shweta Pandit accuses Anu Malik of harassment

Photo courtesy: Instagram

New Delhi: Almost a week after singer Sona Mohapatra accused Anu Malik of sexual harassment and called him a 'serial predator', another singer came out on Wednesday and accused the music composer of being a pedophile. 

In a lengthy post on Twitter, Singer Shweta Pandit revealed how the 'Indian Idol' judge harassed her while she was only 15-year-old. 

Had to go back to my worst memory as a teenage girl today to write this and speak up - its now or never. This is my #MeToo and have to warn young girls about #AnuMalik & let you know your #TimesUp @IndiaMeToo
Thank you @sonamohapatra for speaking up about him & supporting this pic.twitter.com/e261pGQyEq — Shweta Pandit (@ShwetaPandit7) October 17, 2018

"It was the year 2000 when I was launched as a lead singer with 'Mohabbatein' and was trying to get other good songs to follow up with the success of that soundtrack and the outstanding welcome it gave me in the music industry," she said.

Pandit said she was an admirer of the musician and was thrilled when she got a call from Malik's manager to come to Andheri's Empire Studio in mid 2001 to meet him. 

"He was recording a group song with Sunidhi and Shaan for the film 'Awara Pagal Deewana', when my mother and I walked in the monitor room. He told me to wait in the small cabin inside where singers sang at Empire studio. It was just him and me there," she said.

"I sang it well so he said, 'I'll give you this song with Sunidhi and Shaan but first give me a kiss now'. He then smiled, what I'd recall the most evil grin I've seen. I went numb and pale in the face. I was only 15 years old then, still in school," she said.

"Can anyone even imagine what it felt that moment? It felt like someone had just stabbed me in my stomach. I referred to this man as 'Anu uncle' he knew my entire family for decades and knew us as a respected gharana of musicians...," said Pandit, who is the grandniece of veteran Classical singer Pandit Jasraj.

Shweta termed it as the worst experience of her life adding that she went under depression for months and couldn't even bring it up with her parents.