Kailash Kher accused of sexual misconduct; singer says he's 'extremely disappointed, not aware of such an act'

Editor’s note: Following Rituparna Chatterjee’s report —  Is India’s #MeToo moment here? Women are angry and they are naming and shaming their abusers  — Firstpost will publish a series of articles collating personal accounts of those who have made allegations of harassment, along with responses from those who have been accused of such behaviour. This is an ongoing exercise and will be updated to reflect new developments. If you wish to draw our attention to instances of harassment you may have experienced or witnessed, tweet to us @firstpost with the hashtag #MeToo. Singer-composer Kailash Kher had been accused of sexual misconduct by two women, both of whom alleged that he made them uncomfortable by repeatedly touching their thigh during a professional meet. Kher has now responded to Indo-Asian News Service, in a statement: “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.” [caption id=“attachment_5339121” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Kailash Kher. Image via Twitter/@qanuj[/caption] Photographer Natasha Hemrajani alleged that Kher had touched her inappropriately in 2006 when she had gone over to his Mumbai home to click some pictures, along with another female colleague. Kher sat between the two women and touched them repeatedly during the course of the interaction, which led to the two women leaving shortly.

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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

— Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018

Kher, who was in Patna for a gig when the allegations surfaced online, told Indo-Asian News Service:  “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. 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,” he said. (With inputs from Indo-Asian News Service)