#MenToo Need of the Hour, Complements #MeToo: Karan Oberoi
The TV actor opens up about his experience.
Singer/TV actor Karan Oberoi, who was recently accused of rape and spent 14 days in judicial custody before being released on bail, talked about his experience with a leading newspaper.
Karan gave his side of the account, completely denying all the charges. He claims he met and started talking to the woman on a dating site but after learning that she practised black magic, he distanced himself from her. However, she kept reaching out to him and visiting his home. She told Karan she had “powers” and was the reason his mother and father had fallen sick. She threatened suicide and tried to hit him on one occasion after which he filed a non-cognizable (NC) complaint against her.
Karan claims he hadn’t spoken to the woman since October 2018, when he filed the NC. He denies the rape charge, saying that she doesn’t have a date when the alleged incident took place and kept texting him amicably afterwards. He is aggrieved with the police, who Karan claims refused to investigate the complainants’ phone record soon enough.
Karan went on to describe his experience in judicial custody, saying he was held in a barrack with 92 other inmates and that they could only get up and walk around for a few hours each day. He claims he saw a lot of people suffering in jail without support and aims to fight for them now. Karan adds that he is in the process of writing a book about his experiences, which he started working on when he was in jail.
Finally, Karan says that the #MenToo movement does not hurt the #MeToo movement, but in fact complements it. ( #MenToo is aimed at creating awareness about the alleged misuse of the law by women by making false accusations of rape and sexual harassment against men.) He claims that #MenToo is about justice and gender equality, adding that women are also traumatised when men close to them are falsely accused. Karan adds that he is an advocate for #MeToo as well and will fight for it “shoulder to shoulder.”
Karan wraps up by saying that the incident has affected his mind more than his career and “offers are already coming in.”
(With Inputs From: Times of India)
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