#MeToo movement: Actress Sruthi Hariharan accuses Arjun Sarja of "lewd" behaviour
Bengaluru, Oct 20: Actress Sruthi Hariharan Saturday accused prominent south Indian actor Arjun Sarja of "lewd and complete unprofessional behavior" with her during the shooting for a bilingual film in 2016.
The actress, who has essayed roles in several Kannada films, in a post on her Facebook page praising "#metoo" movement has shared about the incident that left her "startled" and took a while for her to "recover".
Sarja, a multi-lingual actor, has said he is pained by the allegation and would file a case.
Narrating the incident that she alleged happened in 2016, Sruthi said, she was shooting for a bilingual film which starred Arjun Sarja, a man whose movies she grew up watching, and was excited about the opportunity.
"The first few days seemed normal, I played his wife in the film and that day we were to do a romantic scene where we had to hug each other after a brief dialogue.
During the rehearsal, we delivered our lines and Mr Arjun hugs me. With no forewarning or permission, he runs his hands intimately up and down my back," her post said.
"He pulls me closer with my body taut against his and asks the director if we could use this idea of foreplay in the scene. I was aghast," she said in the post.
Sruthi said she was all for depicting realism in cinema, but this felt "absolutely wrong."
"His intent seemed anything but professional. I hated that he did it and angry that I didn't know what to say then,"she said, adding that every actor she has worked with before and after Arjun Sarja, have never resorted to this.
Further noting that the director sensed her "discomfort", Sruthi said she made sure that she let the direction department know that she was not interested to be a part of rehearsals and would come directly for takes.
She also shared the incident with her make up team right after, Sruthi said in her post.
"The incident happened in front of at least 50 people on a shooting set- it happened at my workplace.
I wanted nothing but to stay away from him rather than be tolerant and put up with his lewd and complete unprofessional behavior,"she said.
She said she continued shooting as a "professional," During the course of production, every "smutty innuendo" he made, created an "unpalatable" work environment for me, the post said.
"His salacious invitations to meet him after work appalled me. Looking back I remember attempting to normalise his behaviour and ignore his comments- lest there be issues in the production of the film in entirety.
I maintained a cordial distance. All the while knowing he was wrong and wondering why he never stopped," Sruthi said.
Explaining about her intention to come out now, she said "henceforth I think Mr Arjun Sarja needs to make sure he doesn't cross the thin line between two actors and use his position of power to cause another person discomfort or hurt.
"I choose to do this publicly- cos this movement is more than you and me and our individual experiences. It is a collective voice to question an existing system of power play and to call a spade for what it is," the actress added.
In his reaction to the charge to a local Kannada news channel that has been posted on Arjun Sarja's Facebook post by his team, he said, "..I don't have the cheap mentality, keeping the profession as the medium. I'm deeply pained.
I don't know how to react to this, but hundred per cent I'm going to file a case against this."
The actor said he has great respect for womanhood from childhood, adding he has never involved in any incident that is disrespectful of women or embarrass them.
He said he respects "#metoo" and values it, but cautioned about it being misused, leading to the movement losing its value.
He said in 150 movies that he has acted in, he has shared screen space with 60-70 actresses and has good relationship with all of them.
"If somebody is making such allegation against me, I feel pity for her. What to tell this girl.She had expressed intentions that she wants to act more films with me. I'm surprised," the actor said.
He also questioned as to why Sruthi did not react, if she felt that he misbehaved with her.
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MP HC sets up judicial commission to probe water contamination in Indore
Indore (PTI): The Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday set up a commission of inquiry comprising a former HC judge to probe the issue of water contamination in city's Bhagirathpura, saying the matter requires probe by an independent, credible authority and "urgent judicial scrutiny".
It also directed the commission to submit an interim report after four weeks from the date of commencement of proceedings.
A division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi constituted the commission while hearing several public interest litigations (PILs) filed simultaneously regarding the deaths of several people in Bhagirathpura due to the consumption of contaminated water.
The HC reserved the order after hearing all the parties during the day, and released it late at night.
The state government on Tuesday told the HC that the deaths of 16 people in Indore's Bhagirathpura area was possibly linked to a month-long outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water.
The government presented an audit report of 23 deaths from the current gastroenteritis epidemic in Bhagirathpura before the bench, suggesting that 16 of these fatalities may have been linked to the outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water.
The report, prepared by a committee of five experts from the city's Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, stated that the deaths of four people in Bhagirathpura were unrelated to the outbreak, while no conclusion could be reached regarding the cause of death of three other people in the area.
During the hearing, the high court sought to know from the state government the scientific basis behind its report.
The division bench also expressed surprise at the state government's use of the term "verbal autopsy" in relation to the report, sarcastically stating that it had heard the term for the first time.
The HC expressed concern over the Bhagirathpura case, stating that the situation was "alarming," and noted that cases of people falling ill due to contaminated drinking water have also been reported in Mhow, near Indore.
In its order, the HC said the serious issue concerning contamination of the drinking water supply in Bhagirathpura area allegedly resulted in widespread health hazards to residents, including children and elderly persons.
According to the petitioners and media reports, death toll is about 30 till today, but the report depicts only 16 without any basis or record, it said.
It is averred that sewage mixing, leakage in the pipeline, and failure of civic authorities to maintain potable water standards have led to the outbreak of water-borne diseases. Photographs, medical reports, and complaints submitted to the authorities prima facie indicate a matter requiring urgent judicial scrutiny, the HC said.
"Considering the gravity of the allegation and affecting the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India and the need for an independent fact-finding exercise, the Court is of the opinion that the matter requires investigation by an independent, credible authority," it said.
"Accordingly, we appoint Justice Sushil Kumar Gupta, former judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, a one-man commission of inquiry into the issues relating to water contamination in Bhagirathpura, Indore, and its impact on other areas of the city," the HC added.
As per the order, the commission shall inquire into and submit a report on the cause of contamination -- whether the drinking water supplied to Bhagirathpura was contaminated; and the source and nature of contamination (sewage ingress, industrial discharge, pipeline damage etc).
The panel will also probe the number of actual deaths of affected residents on account of contaminated water; find out the nature of disease reported and adequacy of medical response and preventive measures; suggest immediate steps required to ensure safe drinking water as well as long-term infrastructural and monitoring reforms.
It will also identify and fix responsibility upon the officers and officials found prima facie responsible for the Bhagirathpura water contamination incident, and suggest guidelines for compensation to affected residents, particularly vulnerable sections.
The commission shall have powers of a civil court for the purpose of summoning officials and witnesses; calling up records from the government department, hospitals, laboratories and civic bodies; ordering water quality testing through accredited laboratories; conducting spot inspections.
All state authorities involving district administration, Indore Municipal Corporation, public health engineering department and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board shall extend full co-operation and provide records as sought by the commission, it said.
The state government shall provide office space, staff, and logistical support to the commission, it said.
During the hearing in the day, the state government also presented a status report to the court in this matter.
According to reports, a total of 454 patients were admitted to local hospitals during the vomiting and diarrhea outbreak, of whom 441 have been discharged after treatment, and 11 are currently hospitalised.
According to officials, due to a leak in the municipal drinking water pipeline in Bhagirathpura, sewage from a toilet was also mixed in the water.
