 "#MeToo: India Today's Gaurav Sawant, accused of sexual harassment, denies allegations")
India Today’s executive editor and news anchor Gaurav Sawant has been accused of sexual harassment by Vidya Krishnan, a former health editor at The Hindu in New Delhi. The allegations against Sawant were reported in a story by The Caravan magazine in its November issue. The alleged incident took place in 2003 when Krishnan, then 21 and a trainee journalist, was working for The Pioneer on an assignment covering a peacetime drill in a military station at Beas, Punjab, along with other journalists, including Sawant. Sawant had previously been a guest lecturer at Krishnan’s college, and she looked up to him as a mentor. The allegations against Sawant include touching Vidya inappropriately while they were on the field visit, and making unwelcome advances. “The only thing I do remember about those few hours is constantly readjusting and trying to sit in a way that no one else makes out that this is happening,” Krishnan told Caravan reporter Nikita Saxena. “I remember checking constantly, ‘When are we going to reach — are we there yet, are we there yet’,” she added. Later, Sawant sent her inappropriate messages and having visited her room, attempted to force himself on her. Krishnan says she rebuffed him . “I started screaming … I think there was some sense of decency where he was like, ‘Okay, I can’t rape her’, so he went away at that point,” she recalls. Krishnan says she called her boyfriend from the landline in her room and confided in him. While he was enraged and concerned for Krishnan, he also advised her to ‘stay out of trouble’. When Krishnan returned to Delhi, she felt there was no point in pursuing the matter further: Sawant, as she points out, was a star reporter in a different organisation. Krishnan herself was a rookie. Krishnan also told Caravan that she had stepped forward not only to share her own story, but to highlight a larger isue as well. “This is not about outright sexual assault, this is about how we treat women in these workplaces, it’s the everyday sexism” Krishnan said. “It makes me furious that we have very smart, young female reporters — with good talent — whom we don’t groom because we look at them as objects. And no amount of seniority fixes it, because no matter how up you go in the food chain, there are more men higher up on that very food chain at that very level.” Sawant, responding to the claims in a tweet said, “The article published by Caravan is irresponsible, baseless, and completely false. I am talking to my lawyers and will take full legal action. So grateful to my family, friends, and viewers for their support.”
The article published by Caravan is irresponsible, baseless, and completely false. I am talking to my lawyers and will take full legal action. So grateful to my family, friends, and viewers for their support.
— GAURAV C SAWANT (@gauravcsawant) November 12, 2018
Nidhi Razdan, the executive editor at NDTV, shared India Today’s comments on the matter on Twitter — “The article is distressing to read. Unfortunately, we are in no position to comment on it or investigate the matter since Gaurav Sawant was not employed with us in 2003. Nevertheless, Mr Sawant has been asked to provide an explanation. Besides dismissing the allegations entirely, he has informed us that he is consulting lawyers to seek legal remedy.”
As Vidya’s horrific account makes headlines, NDTV asked India Today for a comment, they’ve said: “The article is distressing to read. Unfortunately, we are in no position to comment on it or investigate the matter since Gaurav Sawant was not employed with us in 2003 1/n https://t.co/q6ZeiTCudf
— Nidhi Razdan (@Nidhi) November 12, 2018
India Today statement :
— Nidhi Razdan (@Nidhi) November 12, 2018
“Nevertheless, Mr. Sawant has been asked to provide an explanation. Besides dismissing the allegations entirely, he has informed us that he is consulting lawyers to seek legal remedy 2/n
Meanwhile, Kanika Gahlaut, the former Weekend Editor at Hindustan Times, also tweeted about an incident in which Sawant — on finding her smoking in a discreet corner during a conclave — “lunged” at her. When she told him off, he justified his action by alluding to Gahlaut’s single status.
If it helps I can testify Gaurav Sawant is a pest.I look for discreet places to smoke.Found him behind some hedges at group conclave.He lunged.I gave it off to him.He: "cmon when was last time you got any".His justification for lunging-i'm single. That's how sick his mind is.
— The Lady Optics (@kanikagahlaut) November 13, 2018
Impact Shorts
More ShortsKanika said she never considered Sawant to have any power over her, and so lost no sleep over having to upbraid him for his misconduct. She tweeted that her memory of the incident dwelt more on the audacity of Sawan’t behaviour and his comeback, which Gahlaut called a “further confirmation of his sickness”. The allegations against Sawant come in the midst a resurgence of the #MeToo movement on social media timelines in India. Here's a complete list of the allegations that Firstpost has followed up on. We will be updating this report over the following days.
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