#MeToo: Film Body Suspends Sajid Khan for One Year Over Sexual Harassment Allegations
Mumbai, Dec 12: Director Sajid Khan has been suspended for one year by Indian Film & Television Directors' Association (IFTDA) over the sexual harassment allegations levelled against him by several women following an investigation.
IFTDA said acting on the recommendations of the Internal Complaints Committee's (ICC), it has suspended Sajid's membership for a period of one year with immediate effect, which will be reviewed after a year, the organisation said in a statement.
Three women, including a journalist and two actors, have accused Sajid of sexual harassment.
IFTDA president Ashoke Pandit said, "The reason we have set up a committee is to assure women and men that there is an avenue, which is gender neutral, for seeking redressal if they have been wronged by someone.
"By suspending Sajid for a year, we have only tried to put forth a word that there is redressal as long as you have the courage to speak up and bring out the complete truth, better late than never," he added.
Pandit believes the increasing awareness about the POSH Act guidelines and the #MeTooIndia Movement have encouraged women to speak up.
"It has given them the confidence to speak against sexual harassment. A complainant, who shows courage to speak against unwelcome behaviour regardless of who is the perpetrator, is not merely an object of pity or sympathy, but a survivor setting the world on fire with her truth. Now, it's our duty to uproot such unwelcome behaviour around us," he added.
Sajid, who was working on his next directorial venture "Housefull 4", had to step away from the project following the allegations against him.
The committee, in a statement, said the allegations in the complaints are serious instances of sexual harassment, unwelcome sexually determined behaviour, unwarranted contact by poking and advances, demands for sexual favours and abuse of power by Sajid.
Sajid was given an opportunity to put forth his defence but he did not give any explanation, response or defence to the allegations.
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DU college asks students, staff to follow VC's X account, share posts
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi University's Shaheed Bhagat Singh College has asked its students and staff members to follow the official X account of Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh and actively share his posts expressing solidarity with the Indian Armed Forces.
In an official notice dated May 12 and signed by Principal Arun Kumar Attree, the Shaheed Bhagat Singh College administration said, "All teachers, staff members, and students of the college are hereby requested to follow the Vice Chancellor Prof. Yogesh Singh's official Twitter (now X) account."
The college community is "encouraged to retweet the posts shared through the platform" as a gesture of support and gratitude towards the country's defence forces, it said.
"By amplifying these messages, we not only raise awareness about their courage and sacrifices but also contribute to building a strong sense of national pride and unity within our community," it stated.
Singh created his X account earlier this month and made his first post on May 8. In a post on May 12, he referred to Operation Sindoor, carried out by India in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
In his post in Hindi, Singh claimed that Indian forces "destroyed Pakistani terrorist bases and neutralised more than 100 terrorists, including the hijackers of IC814 and the Pulwama terrorists".
The government and armed forces "do more and say less, keeping national interest paramount", he said.
The post concluded with lines from the Hindi poem "Parshuram Ki Pratiksha" by Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, calling for unity and support for the armed forces and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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