'Taarak Mehta' actor accuses producer, 2 others of sexual harassment
Showmakers call allegations 'baseless'
Mumbai(PTI): "Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah" actor Jennifer Mistry Bansiwal on Thursday accused producer Asit Kumarr Modi and two others of sexual harassment, a charge they denied, claiming she was let go from the show due to misbehaviour.
Modi also said that he will take legal action against the actor for trying to defame him and the show.
Bansiwal, who plays the role of Roshan Sodhi on the long-running Sab TV show, said she sent a formal letter to the concerned authorities, including the National Commission for Women (NCW) and Mumbai Police on April 8, accusing Modi, project head Sohail Ramani and executive producer Jatin Bajaj of sexual harassment and outraging the modesty of a woman.
According to a senior police officer at Powai police station, they received Bansiwal's application on May 8. Bansiwal claimed Modi "sexually harassed" her on multiple occasions over the last few years.
"He would pass uncharitable comments but I ignored them. In March 2019, in Singapore, he said many things like, Come to my room, let's have whisky'", she alleged. "I kept quiet but shared these things with two of my colleagues. They would often shield me. They are still working on the show, so they can't do much," the actor told PTI.
She also claimed she told Ramani about her ordeal. "I told him, 'I don't want to work on the show.' He said, We will stop your payment for four months'. Mentally, they put pressure on me," Bansiwal added. Modi denied Bansiwal's allegations and said he will take legal action against her for trying to defame him and the show.
"Since we terminated her services, she is making these baseless allegations," the producer told PTI.
He also claimed Bansiwal was removed from the show on "account of misbehaviour".
"We were shooting on March 7 on Holi. Something happened and she misbehaved. We incurred a financial loss. The director and the production team said they will not work with her as she misbehaved and abused them.
"They decided to remove her from the show. I was in the US when this incident happened. Once we removed her from the show, she started levelling allegations against us. We are in talks with our lawyers. They will decide the future course of action," Modi said.
However, Bansiwal alleged that both Ramani and Bajaj misbehaved with her on the show's sets on March 7.
In a media statement, Ramani and Bajaj denied the allegations, claiming Bansiwal regularly misbehaved with the entire team of the show.
"We had to terminate her contract because of her bad behaviour and indiscipline during the shoot. During this incident, Asit ji was in the US. She is now trying to defame us and the show by making baseless allegations.
"We have already filed our complaint against these baseless allegations with the concerned authorities," Ramani and Bajaj said the joint statement.
Asked why she didn't come forward with her allegations earlier, Bansiwal said she couldn't muster the courage to speak about it then.
"Being a woman, you think they are bigshots. How can you go up against them as your bread and butter comes from this (show)?
"I thought the easy way to deal with this was to quit the show, so that time, I was threatened that they would cut four months of payment. That time, I was not in a position to quit and not even now," she alleged.
The show's directors -- Harshad Joshi, Rushi Dave and Armaan Dhanesha -- also alleged Bansiwal lacked discipline and was not focused on her work.
"We regularly had to complain to the production head about her behaviour. On her last day she was abusive in front of the whole unit and left the set without finishing her shoot," they said.
"Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah", which started airing in 2008, is one of the longest-running sitcoms in Indian television history. It also features popular actors Dilip Joshi, Munmun Dutta and Mandar Chandwadkar.
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Porsche car crash case exposed systemic corruption: Pune police commissioner
Pune (PTI): The Porsche car crash case exposed "systemic corruption," but the Pune Police have successfully uncovered the nexus behind the replacement of the accused juvenile's blood samples with those of his mother, Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said on Wednesday.
The case made national headlines after the high-end car allegedly driven by the 17-year-old boy in an inebriated state mowed down motorcycle-borne IT professionals Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa in the Kalyani Nagar area on May 19 last year.
"Last year’s Porsche car crash case sparked widespread discussions about Pune’s deteriorating social culture, alleged police corruption, and several other issues. Amid all the criticism, one positive aspect stood out: the case exposed systemic corruption.
"It also demonstrated how the police, working within the same system, managed to uncover the entire nexus behind the replacement of the juvenile’s blood samples with those of his mother," Kumar said while addressing Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, an initiative aimed at raising awareness against drug addiction, organised at Modern College.
He added that the juvenile has been released since he was a minor.
"However, his mother has remained in jail for over a year, and his father continues to be behind bars. Doctors from Sassoon Hospital and others involved are also still in jail," Kumar said, adding that one mistake by a child, and an attempt by his parents to cover it up, destroyed an entire family.
He said the police will follow up on this case until every guilty person is punished.
Kumar also appealed to students to stay away from intoxicating substances and drugs.
"You are not only endangering your own life but also putting your entire family at risk," he said, urging the youth not to fall prey to harmful addictions.
"Instead, stand strong and act as a force to ensure that drug abuse is curbed in your surroundings. We assure you of full police support," he added.
He further stated that if youth from all colleges unite and decide to end this menace, "the day is not far when not even one gram of drug will be sold in the city".
The investigation into the car crash had revealed that the juvenile's blood samples were replaced with those of his mother.
The roles of Dr Ajay Taware, head of the forensic department, Medical Officer Shreehari Halnor, and a hospital staffer came under scrutiny.
While the mother is currently out on bail, the juvenile’s father, Sassoon Hospital doctors Taware and Halnor, staffer Atul Ghatkamble, two middlemen, Ashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad, and others remain in jail for the alleged blood sample swap.
