After a deluge of #Metoo allegations
INDIAN MEN CLAIM THEY ARE THE ONES UNDER ATTACK
NEW DELHI - A junior minister in India has filed a criminal defamation complaint against a woman who publicly accused him on social media of sexual misconduct, in a case that has highlighted setbacks facing India’s nascent #Metoo movement.
In a 41-page letter to Delhi’s chief metropolitan magistrate, Mobashar Jawed Akbar, minister of state for external affairs, accused journalist Priya Ramaniof “willfully, deliberately, intentionally and maliciously defaming the Complainant [Akbar], on wholly and completely false, frivolous, unjustifiable and scandalous grounds.”
The letter could result in criminal charges against Ramani and become the first major hurdle for India’s #Metoo movement which has taken off this month. Dozens of women have called out misconduct, assault and harassment in the workplace, naming men in industries including Indian media, entertainment, sports, public relations and nonprofits.
In a statement, Ramani said she was “deeply disappointed” with Akbar’s decision to take legal action against her. “By instituting a case of criminal defamation against me, Mr. Akbar has made his stand clear: rather than engage with the serious allegations that many women have made against him, he seeks to silence them through intimidation and harassment.”
The #Metoo movement has already had important consequences in India, with some accused men forced to resign from prominent positions and companies instituting new measures to make women feel safe in their workplaces. Yet a number of accused men have denied allegations in public statements or hit back at women for speaking out.
India’s delayed #Metoo allegations spilled out on social media after actress Tanushree Dutta revived a decade-old allegation against actor Nana Patekar in television interviews last month.
Since then, women have put their names to accusations against powerful men and used social media to give details about abuses. They also have often cited their failed efforts to get justice through regular channels.
Many women accusing men on social media say they made previous attempts to report sexual misconduct. But they say their concerns were repeatedly dismissed or trivialized by colleagues and that “due process” in India has broken down. From police officers to courts, women have found their complaints of workplace sexual harassment are not taken seriously. Women activists now hope to strengthen an existing Indian law, the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, which has been poorly implemented since it was enacted in 2013.
India’s #Metoo movement is different from America’s in other ways. Unlike the allegations against high-powered film producer Harvey Weinstein, which were investigated and reported by established news organizations such as the New York Times and the New Yorker, the accusations in India have erupted on social media, with women using their own Twitter handles or Facebook pages to share their stories