The last proverbial nail on the coffin that ensured the resignation of the veteran journalist MJ Akbar, was an article written by a woman journalist, Tushita Patel, while on a flight. She was enraged by Akbar’s statement that #MeToo was a fashion statement.
“I was not thinking of telling my story. But on his return to India, MJ Akbar said this (#MeToo) was just fashion. I was enraged. I felt that if I don’t say anything now, I would be complicit with his crime,” said Patel, who is one of the journalists who had accused MJ Akbar of sexual harassment.
Tushita Patel along with actor-director Vinta Nanda, former journalist Sandhya Menon and former nun, Sister Jesme formed the panel for the Bangalore Literature Festival’s session on the #MeToo campaign.
“The Fallen Angel”
Nine years ago, when sister Jesme quit the church, citing sexual assault from a priest, she was called a fallen angel and a harlot. It was in Bengaluru she was first sexually harassed. The priest who was to be her mentor, asked her to strip for him.
But recent allegations of rape showed the magnitude of the problem she spoke about. “The church always sides with the bishops. When I came out of the church ten years ago, none were with me. Now the nuns are saying #WeToo,” she said.
Her advice to women was to speak the truth with courage, whenever one feels like, whether immediately or ten years later.
Taking on the Sanskari Actor
Vinta Nanda, who was on the panel, spoke about her experience of speaking against actor Alok Nath, who allegedly raped her. She said coming out openly with her story was a traumatic experience. She also added that even though a prominent newspaper wrote about the alleged rape against her in 2004, the entire industry kept quiet.
The industry’s silence meant that she was forced to work with the man who raped her, once again, just so that she could keep her job. She said:
“The fact that I was forced to work again with Alok Nath speaks volumes about the industry.”
Standing the Ground
Former journalist Sandhya Menon, whose Twitter account became a catalyst for the #MeToo movement, said sexual harassment at her workplace ensured that she couldn’t go back to the newsroom again. “As a child I had a dream of being a journalist. I feel sad that I had to give my dream up because of the harassment,” she said.
Sandhya Menon also responded to the criticism levelled against the movement that it had, under the garb of anonymity, made the movement vindictive. Countering it, she said “I had messaged almost 200 women, who had sent direct messages to me on Twitter about harassment, asking if they would be ready to back me up in court, if I would be sued for publishing those accounts.”
“Only one woman said that she would think about it, but the rest were ready to stand by me.”
Talking about how more women are coming out against MJ Akbar to testify in the court, Tushita Patel said that as more women come out there will be pressure to create institutional mechanisms to address sexual harassment at workplaces.
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