Abhijeet Bhattacharya accused of sexually harassing, intimidating woman in 1998; singer denies charges

Women all over India are naming and shaming their harassers as part of the ongoing  #MeToo movement that is gaining momentum in the country. Among several other influential men, singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya was also named as an alleged sexual offender by a woman in a Facebook post detailing the alleged incident. [caption id=“attachment_5352821” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya stands accused of sexual harassment. Image via Twitter/@newsupdatesbolly[/caption] The woman alleged that in the summer of 1998, Bhattacharya intimidated and sexually harassed her at a Kolkata pub located in an upscale hotel. The hotel staff was informed of the incident and Bhattacharya was banned from entering the premises for a month. Firstpost tried to reach out to the survivor for additional comment. The story will be updated if she responds. Firstpost also reached out to the singer for a statement and he replied saying: “my foot”. His detailed statement, when released, will be added to this report. Meanwhile he spoke to DNA regarding these allegations, and said, “I’ve never visited a discotheque or a pub in my life, so she is blatently lying.” Several men from the entertainment industry in India are under the scanner after being named as alleged sexual offenders. Director Vikas Bahl, filmmaker-actor Rajat Kapoor, lyricist Vairamuthu and actor Alok Nath are some of the names that have cropped up in a wave of #MeToo accounts that has taken over social media. Network 18, of which Firstpost is a part, has received complaints of sexual harassment as well. The complaints which are within the purview of the workplace have been forwarded to our PoSH committee for appropriate action.