Piyush Sahdev, Shiney Ahuja and List of Other Bollywood & TV Celebrities Who Are Accused of Sexual Assault

A lot has been spoken and written about the sexual assault and harassment in the wake of Harvey Weinstein scandal. A lot of women accused including Hollywood top actresses Salma Hayek, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie accused the film mogul of being a sexual predator. And it seems like Weinstein’s case has opened a Pandora’s box. Several top actors, directors, producers, presenters, politicians have come under scanner for sexually violating and their victims are both females and males. This is not just the story of West but also back on our home soil, we have celebrities who have been accused of sexual assault.

In one of the most recent cases in India, Piyush Sahdev, a well-known television actor was arrested on charges of raping a 23-year-old fashion designer. In another case, a top-notch film producer, Karim Morani is facing jail-time for drugging and raping a girl on the pretext of marriage. Morani is also accused of threatening the victim of either killing her off or release her nude pictures. To put it in a nutshell, these powerful men use their stature to exploit their victim’s vulnerability.

As nicely put by Bollywood actress and a global star, Priyanka Chopra, “It’s not just about sexuality. It’s not about sex. It’s about power.” The former Miss World said this in reply to the entire Weinstein episode while adding, “don’t think there is only a Harvey Weinstein in Hollywood. I think there will be a lot more stories that will come up. That happens not just in India, but all over the world. It’s the power of men trying to take away the power of women. It’s about feeling powerful and macho.” The Quantico actress could not be more right as we see a string of Indian celebrities accused of rape and molestation. Take a look at some of these powerful celebs and their sickening wrongdoings.

1. Piyush Sahdev

It came as a rude shock to the audiences and fans when TV actor Piyush Sahdev was arrested on rape charges. The 35-year-old who is popular for his roles in Beyhadh and Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev is accused of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old woman. According to reports, Piyush who had separated from his wife got into a live-in relationship with the victim. The actor had promised to help her professionally, before allegedly committing rape. He is currently in Arthur Road jail after his bail application was rejected by the court.

2. Shiney Ahuja

Shiney Ahuja has a short but memorable filmography, from Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi to Bhool Bhulaiyaa; Gangster to Life in a Metro. There was not an iota of doubt over Shiney’s acting skills. But does your incredible professional life win you brownie point for sexually violating another person? No. A big NO. In 2009, Bollywood was in a shock when Shiney was arrested for raping his house help. The maid accused a much-married Shiney of gagging and raping. However, she later retracted from her statement and admitted the sexual act to be consensual. The maid has been prosecuted for perjury while Shiney Ahuja is out on a bail as the case is still pending.

3. Inder Kumar

Inder Kumar who passed away in 2017 had also been accused of raping a model on a pretext of giving her work in films. The late Bollywood and TV actor was slapped with several charges, from rape, wrongful confinement and assaulting the victim. The woman claimed Inder brutally raped her on two occasions in a short span of three days. However, the Wanted actor rubbished the allegations and admitting of having a fling and the whole act of sex being consensual.

4. Ankit Tiwari

In another case of false promises, singer and music director Ankit Tiwari was accused of raping his girlfriend in 2014. The victim claimed the Sunn Raha Hai Na Tu singer raped her repeatedly on the pretext of marriage. Meanwhile, his brother was arraigned on charges of threatening the girl with dire consequences. The case saw several shocking twists and turns including the complainant turning hostile, which she put the blame on Tiwari brothers, police and lawyers. At the end, Ankit was acquitted due to lack of evidence and witnesses.

5. Subhash Kapoor

Journalist turned actress, Geetika Tyagi accused notable Bollywood director, Subhash Kapoor of allegedly molesting. The director famous for movies like Jolly LLB franchise was arrested in 2014 after she blamed the director of trying to force himself upon her. She had also posted a YouTube video showing a remorseful Subhash apologising for his misbehaviour as the actress slaps him. A lot has been said from both ends in this case, however at present Subhash is busy working on his next film, Mogul, a biopic based on T-Series founder, Gulshan Kumar’s life and journey.

6. Karim Morani

A powerful Bollywood producer with big movies such as Damini, Raja Hindustani, Ra-One and Chennai Express against his name, Karim Morani turned out to be the big bad wolf. In 2017, the man was arrested for raping a 25-year-old Delhi student. In fact, Karim surrendered to Hyderabad police, one of the two cities in which he raped the woman on multiple occasions. The victim, a Bachelor of Business Management student said she was interested in acting in films. She also claimed Karim of raping on false promises of marriage. She narrated her ordeal including the continuous threaten and blackmail over releasing her intimate photographs. Sickening.

It is appalling to see the similar pattern in most of these cases. The victims are lured in by making false promises of giving roles and even marriage by these so-called powerful men. It almost feels like a sense of entitlement for these men to sexually assault and brush it off as an act of consensual sex. It is wrong on multiple levels and needs to be addressed on an urgent basis.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 24, 2017 05:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).