Here's what we know about the country's nascent #Metoo movement and what veteran journalist and politician MJ Akbar is accused of.
Who is MJ Akbar?
Born in 1951 in Telinipara, West Bengal, Mobashar Jawed "MJ" Akbar is an Indian politician and former newspaper editor.
The veteran statesman was an MP for two years from 1989 before returning to public life in 2014.
He was appointed national spokesperson during the 2014 general elections, when the party was voted back into office under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi.
During his lengthy career as a journalist he launched India’s first weekly political news magazine, Sunday, in 1976, and two daily newspapers.
He has also written several books, both non-fiction and fiction.
Akbar married Mallika Joseph, who he met at The Times of India, in 1975, and the couple have two children together.
What is Akbar accused of?
In October 2018 Akbar was accused of predatory behaviour towards a number of young women.
Senior journalist Priya Ramani tweeted that an article she wrote for Vogue India a year ago had been about Akbar, though she had not named him at the time.
In the piece she recounted what she called her first experience of workplace harassment, describing him as a "predator".
The BBC reported that five other women have come forward since with allegations they were harassed or sexually assaulted by Akbar.
One of these is Ghazala Wahab, who claims she was sexually harassed by Akbar over a period of six months while working as an intern at the Asian Age in 1997.
Neither Mr Akbar nor the foreign ministry have so far responded to the allegations against him.
What is the India #MeToo movement?
Akbar is the most senior person so far to be named in a spate of allegations made in October 2018 against prominent figures.
Veteran actors Alok Nath and film director Vikas Bahl are among those accused of sexual assault.
Nath has denied the allegations, while Bahl has not responded.
Unlike its US counterpart, India's #MeToo movement wasn't triggered by any investigation.
It appears to have started spontaneously on October 4 when a young female comedian accused Utsav Chakraborty, a 33-year-old comedian, of sending her an unsolicited photo of his penis.
Chakraborty has since admitted to the accusation and apologised.
Since then women journalists have played the biggest part in outing reporters, editors, authors and even a high court judge with allegations of sexual harassment and assault.
Source: Read Full Article