As the MeToo movement in India is growing strong taking a toll on senior scribe and Union Minister MJ Akbar, in Karnataka a woman thrashed a private financial bank manager for seeking sexual favour in lieu of sanctioning a bank loan. A 52-second video which went viral on local channels and social media where a women seen dragging a man on the streets thrashing him with a stick has a sequel to the ongoing MeToo movement in India.
According to reports in the media, the incident took place on Monday in Karnataka’s Davanagere, a Central Karnataka district, when the woman visited the Dewan Housing Finance branch to seek a loan. The on-duty manager assured to help her and agreed to approve her loan despite her poor financial condition.
However, to pass loan, he allegedly demanded sexual favours. The enraged woman dragged him on the street and thrashed him with a stick. The visual shows the woman held the managers collar and then beating him up with a stick and slippers. The woman can also be heard asking the man to come to the police station while thrashing him with a stick.
Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DFHL) on Tuesday Soon after the incident came to light, sacked the employee and termed the incident as very unfortunate. In a statement the company said “in the light of the unfortunate incident at Karnataka's Davanagere, we have terminated the services of the employee with immediate effect. DHFL strongly promotes and cultivates an environment that is conducive for the safety of women."
The MeToo movement, which began in the United States just over a year ago in response to accusations of sexual assault and harassment in the entertainment industry, has hit the India and taken its toll. After Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta accused film actor Nana patekar, it has hit many big names which include MJ Akbar and many others.
More than a dozen men in politics, media, entertainment and the arts have been accused of a range of offences, with several prominent figures either resigning or being suspended as a result.
MeToo movement has become a mainstream media talking point and woman are coming forward to voice against the predators.
But two of those accused, M.J. Akbar and veteran actor Alok Nath, filed criminal defamation suits against the women who accused them. In India defamation provisions which classify it as a criminal offence punishable with a jail term of up to two years.
Akbar, who founded and edited several newspapers before joining politics, has been accused of inappropriate behaviour by at least a dozen women who had worked with him. He has called the accusations "wild and baseless". On Monday, he filed the defamation suit against one of his accusers, journalist Priya Ramani, at a Delhi district court. Ramani had "intentionally put forward malicious, fabricated and salacious" allegations to harm his reputation, the suit alleged.
Ramani said in a statement on Twitter on Monday that she was ready to fight the defamation allegation "as truth and the absolute truth is my only defence".