Actor alleges Anurag Kashyap sexually harassed her, director calls the claims baseless
Mumbai: Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on Sunday said the sexual harassment allegations levelled against him by actor Payal Ghosh are baseless.
On Saturday, Ghosh took to Twitter and wrote that the "Gangs of Wasseypur" director was sexually inappropriate towards her.
The 30-year-old actor tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in her tweet, requesting him to take action against Kashyap.
"@anuragkashyap72 has forced himself on me and extremely badly. @PMOIndia @narendramodi ji, kindly take action and let the country see the demon behind this creative guy. I am aware that it can harm me and my security is at risk. Please help!" Ghosh wrote.
In a video released to ABN Telugu, Ghosh claimed that the incident happened in 2014-2015.
The actor, who made her Hindi debut with Rishi Kapoor-Paresh Rawal starrer "Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi", also claimed that Kashyap boasted about his connection with megastar Amitabh Bachchan and claimed that there were other female artistes who he got intimate with.
In a series of Twitter posts in Hindi, Kashyap dismissed the allegations, calling it an attempt to "silence" him. The 48-year-old director has been vocal against the criticism and vilification of Bollywood by celebrities and trolls.
"Such a long time was taken to shut me up, never mind. (But) while shutting me up, you lied so much that you dragged other women also in it. Please maintain some dignity madam. All I will say is that all your allegations are baseless," Kashyap tweeted.
Refuting the claims, Kashyap said the video is a testimony of "how much truth and false" there is.
"While placing allegations against me you dragged my artistes and Bachchan family... Madam, I have been married twice, if that's a crime then I admit to it. I also admit that I have loved a lot, whether it's my first wife or second.
Any lover or all those female actors with whom I've worked or the team of all those girls and women that have been working with me or all those women I've met in private or in public. I neither behaved like this nor do I tolerate such a behaviour at any cost. Rest we will see what happens," he added.
Ghosh found support in National Commission for Women, with its chairperson Rekha Sharma assuring the actor that the NCW will take cognisance of the case.
"You may send me the detailed complaint at chairperson-ncw@nic.in and @NCWIndia will look into it. @iampayalghosh," Sharma tweeted.
@anuragkashyap72 has forced himself on me and extremely badly. @PMOIndia @narendramodi ji, kindly take action and let the country see the demon behind this creative guy. I am aware that it can harm me and my security is at risk. Pls help! https://t.co/1q6BYsZpyx
— Payal Ghosh (@iampayalghosh) September 19, 2020
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Cong seeks thorough probe into Goa nightclub fire; Rahul alleges criminal failure of governance
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Sunday demanded a comprehensive investigation and strict accountability for the tragic fire at a nightclub in Goa that killed 25 people, with Rahul Gandhi claiming it was a criminal failure of safety and governance.
The fire broke out at Birch by Romeo Lane, a popular nightclub at Arpora village in North Goa, early Sunday, killing at least 25 people, including four tourists and 14 staff members, and injuring six others.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed his deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the blaze.
“This avoidable tragic incident is an irreparable loss, and I pray for the speedy recovery of all those who have been injured.
ALSO READ: https://english.varthabharati.in/india/25-killed-6-injured-in-fire-at-nightclub-in-goa
“Such tragedies call for a comprehensive investigation, strict accountability, and immediate steps to ensure that all fire safety norms are enforced, so that such devastating incidents are never repeated,” Kharge said in a post on X.
The veteran leader also appealed to all the Congress workers in the coastal region to extend every possible support and assistance to the affected families and stand with them in this hour of grief.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, said he was deeply pained by the tragic fire in Arpora.
“My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured. This is not just an accident; it is a criminal failure of safety and governance. A thorough, transparent probe must fix accountability and ensure such preventable tragedies don't occur again,” Gandhi said in an X post.
Congress general secretary in charge of organisation, K C Venugopal, sought fixing of accountability for the tragic blaze so that such incidents are not repeated.
"The fire at a night club in Arpora, Goa, is shocking and I convey my heartfelt sympathies to the families of the victims who lost their lives.
"This tragedy took place because of the negligence of the authorities in enforcing fire safety norms. We urge a thorough and impartial investigation to identify those responsible and to ensure accountability, so that such a tragedy is never repeated," he said in a post on X.
Deeply pained by the tragic fire in Arpora, Goa that claimed more than 20 lives. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 7, 2025
This is not just an accident, it is a criminal failure of safety and governance. A thorough,…
