Anu Malik offers to resign as reality show judge: channel sources
Mumbai, Nov 21: Music composer Anu Malik, who has been accused of sexual harassment by several women, including singers Sona Mohapatra, Neha Bhasin and Shweta Pandit, has offered to step down as a judge of a reality show on Sony TV, channel sources said on Thursday.
"He conveyed to the channel today that he wants to step down till he clears his name," a Sony Entertainment Television insider told PTI.
However, it is uncertain whether the channel accepted his resignation.
Malik remained unavailable for comment.
Mohapatra welcomed the move.
"Thank you to all the women & men & the media of India who supported our campaign #MoveOutMalik. A repeat offender like Anu Malik on national tv triggered a lot of trauma, pain & stress in many of our lives. I have been ill for a while & I hope to sleep well tonight," the singer wrote on Twitter.
The development comes a week after the music director denied the allegations, saying he was being "cornered" for something he did not do and may take legal action.
In a statement posted on social media, Malik called the claims "false and unverified", adding they had affected his "only source of livelihood".
Malik was first accused of misconduct last year during the #MeToo wave and was briefly dropped from the singing reality show.
The claims resurfaced with his reinstatement this September.
When he was reinstated Mohapatra penned an open letter, in which she recounted several allegations of harassment against Malik. She also lambasted musicians Sonu Nigam, Vishal Dadlani and Neha Kakkar for supporting him.
Even veteran singer Alisha Chinai had accused Malik of molesting her during the shooting of her hit track "Made in India".
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TMC leader killed in Bengal's Birbhum
Kolkata (PTI): A local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader was murdered by unidentified assailants in West Bengal's Birbhum district, police said on Saturday.
Rajbehari Sardar (65), TMC's booth chief in Patisara gram panchayat, was stabbed and severely beaten up by around five-six people at a function in Nanoor area around 10 pm on Friday, a police officer said.
Sardar was taken to Mangalkot Hospital in neighbouring Purba Bardhaman district where he was declared dead by doctors, he said.
The deceased's son alleged that Sardar was killed by members of a rival faction of the party.
The local TMC leadership said Sardar was a committed party worker and was popular in the area, but claimed that there was no report of the involvement of anyone from the party in the murder.
"We demand a thorough and prompt investigation into the incident," a local TMC leader said.
