Editor-in-chief of The Bombay Review (TBR), Kaartikeya Bajpai has resigned after allegations of alleged sexual misconduct and sexist behaviour, reported Mumbai Mirror.
Bajpai resigned after an ex-employee, Mansi Goda, put out a post on Facebook accusing him of misbehaving with female staffers and subjecting them to verbal and emotional abuse. The post went viral on social media.
Goda said that she tried to encourage her female colleagues to speak up but did not succeed.
Bajpai would only hire girls. There are hardly two or three men at TBR. Making derogatory comments and speaking shamefully of women was routine for him. There were no boundaries with respect to personal and professional relationships. It was extremely disgusting to work there. In group conversations, he would say someone had fat thighs, call someone a ‘pig’, or say, ‘My dog can work better than you’. My last conversation with him was on 12 February. I told him I cannot go on with what he is doing. He gaslighted victims saying they couldn’t take a joke, or were overreacting/Mansi Goda to Mumbai Mirror
Bajpai, responding to the allegations, apologised through a Facebook post and announced that he has shut the magazine down.
To defend, would be a shallow move and I will certainly not attempt that. The magazine to a large extent became what it is today, due to Miss Goda’s hard work along with that of many other talented colleagues. For that I will be forever grateful, and to all the people I have caused any kind of agony, I apologise unconditionally.Kaartikeya Bajpai, Former editor-in-chief, TBR
“He was completely manipulative even at the young age of 19 or 20. As a teacher, I was shocked with such behaviour from a student. His attitude was very threatening even towards me, for no apparent reason,” one of his teachers told Mumbai Mirror.
(With inputs from Mumbai Mirror)
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