Pallavi rubbishes M.J. Akbar’s claim

Says relationship based on coercion not consensual GOGOI TOOK to Twitter and said she stands by every word in her published account in The Washington Post. SHE SAID that she would continue to speak her truth so that other women, who have been sexually a

The US-based journalist, who has accused former minister M.J. Akbar of raping her 23 years ago, corrected her former boss that a relationship based on coercion and abuse of power can’t be consensual.

“I stand by every word in my published account,” she said about her allegation on the former editorin-chief of The Asian Age. She rubbished the claims made by him that they had a consensual relationship when she worked at The Asian Age.

Over the past few days, while many women have come forward to accuse Mr Akbar of abuse, this is the first time that he has been accused of rape. The journalist-turned-politician had to quit as minister after over 20 women accused him of sexual misconduct when they worked with him at several newspapers.

In a tweet, Gogoi said it was not a consensual relationship. “A relation that is based on coercion and abuse of power is not consensual,” she said.

In an op-ed article for The Washington Post, Gogoi had recounted her ordeal and accused Akbar of raping her.

Meanwhile, denying the rape allegations, Akbar countered it with his version and claimed that it was consensual. He said he and Pallavi were in a “consensual relationship that spanned several months”.

The US-based journalist, who has accused former minister M.J. Akbar of raping her 23 years ago, corrected her former boss that a relationship based on coercion and abuse of power can’t be consensual.

“On Friday, the Washington Post had published my first-hand account of being physically, verbally and sexually assaulted by M.J. Akbar. I was in my early 20s, an aspiring journalist and an employee at the newspaper he led. Rather than take responsibility for his abuse of me and his serial predation of other young women who have courageously come forward, Akbar has insisted — just like other infamous serial sexual abusers of women — that the relationship was consensual. It was not,” Gogoi said in her statement.

Gogoi said she stood “by every word” in her published account in The Washington Post.

“I will continue to speak my truth so that other women who have been sexually assaulted by him know it is okay for them to come forward and speak their truth too,” she said.

This “consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on [the] best note,” Akbar said. He also suggested that various others who worked with him and Pallavi then would bear testimony to his version of events.

On Friday, Akbar’s wife Mallika Akbar had also issued a statement and stated that a “me too campaign” has been “unleashed” against her husband and that she needed to speak up. Mallika said her husband had cheated on her with Pallavi Gogoi, who “caused unhappiness and discord” in the Akbars’ home. Mallika said that Akbar chose to “prioritise” his family after she confronted him with evidence of his extra-marital relationship with Pallavi. Mallika also said that Pallavi and Tushita Patel — who too has accused Akbar of sexual misconduct — often used to come to the Akbars’ home. “Neither carried the haunted look of victims of sexual assault,” she said.