Indian government minister quits as #MeToo gains traction

NEW DELHI — A junior minister in the Indian government stepped down after more than a dozen women accused him of sexual harassment, delivering the first major victory to the country’s nascent #MeToo movement.

M.J. Akbar, minister of state for external affairs, faced allegations of harassment and assault from female journalists who had worked for him in his previous career as a newspaper editor.

Akbar’s resignation is the most high-profile departure since a delayed #MeToo movement took off on social media in India earlier this month.

Earlier, Akbar had lashed out at his accusers and launched a criminal defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani, who publicly named him on Twitter as a serial harasser.

In a statement, Akbar said, “Since I have decided to seek justice in a court of law in my personal capacity, I deem it appropriate to step down from office and challenge false accusations levied against me, also in a personal capacity.”

Though the case was filed only against Ramani, Akbar in a statement on Sunday denied sexual harassment and assault allegations from more than a dozen women who came forward after Ramani went public.

Defamation can be a criminal charge in India, and a conviction can carry up to two years in jail.

After Akbar’s resignation, Ramani tweeted: “As women we feel vindicated by MJ Akbar’s resignation. I look forward to the day when I will also get justice in court.”

On Tuesday, the news website Scroll published a new accusation of harassment from journalist Tushita Patel, who prefaced her allegations by saying that she felt compelled to speak out because of Akbar’s brazen denial.

In her account, Patel recounted Akbar’s persistent advances. She wrote: “Suddenly you got up, grabbed me and kissed me hard — your stale tea breath and your bristly moustache are still etched in the recesses of my memory. I wriggled out and ran till I reached the road, jumped into an auto rickshaw and started crying.”