#MeToo: Anu Malik to step down as 'Indian Idol 10' judge
Mumbai, Oct 21: Veteran music composer Anu Malik, who is under fire for numerous allegations of sexual harassment, has been asked to step down as a judge for "Indian Idol 10".
After singers Sona Mohapatra and Shweta Pandit accused Malik of sexual harassment, two budding singers levelled similar allegations against him.
According to a source, the music director will no longer be shooting episodes of the singing reality show from Monday onwards.
"In light of the ongoing sexual harassment allegations, Anu Malik, to step down as the judge on Indian Idol. He will not be shooting any further episodes. He will not be shooting from Monday onwards," the insider said.
A lawyer for the music director Thursday denied the claims against him, saying India's #MeToo movement is being used for his client's "character assassination". Malik has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Noted lyricist Sameer Anjaan also came to Malik's defence and tweeted that he was present during the time Pandit is talking about but no such incident took place.
Malik has been one of the judges on "Indian Idol", since the show first aired in 2004.
Vishal Dadlani and Neha Kakkar are the other two judges on the panel currently of the show, which airs on Sony Entertainment Television.
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Iran warns of ‘uncontrollable consequences’ after energy site strike
Qatar warns residents of ‘Elavated’ threat
Tehran/Doha: Iran’s President Massoud Pezeshkian has warned that attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure could lead to “uncontrollable consequences” affecting the entire world.
In a post on X, Pezeshkian said he “strongly condemns” the strikes that targeted the South Pars gasfield earlier in the day.
“Such aggressive actions will not achieve anything for the American Zionist enemy and their supporters. Rather, they will complicate the situation and could lead to uncontrollable consequences that will affect the entire world,” he said.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior has urged residents to remain indoors due to what it described as an elevated security threat.
Authorities have not provided further details, but the advisory comes amid growing concerns over the safety of energy infrastructure and civilian areas in the region.
