Filmmaker Nishtha Jain on Sunday, 14 October, accused veteran journalist Vinod Dua of stalking and sexually harassing her in 1989.
In a detailed post on Facebook, Jain said that Dua cracked a “lewd sexual joke” at her when she met him for a job interview. She also alleged that the senior journalist stalked her, even after she got a job elsewhere.
Jain recalled how Dua “slobbered all over” her face, after asking her to get into his car.
Dua is currently the host of Jan Gan Man ki Baat on news website The Wire. He is also the father of popular comedian Mallika Dua.
In a statement, later in the day, The Wire said that while Dua has denied the charges, its Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) has taken note of the allegations.
‘Sorry, Mallika Dua...’
The filmmaker also asserted that the journalist’s “outrarage against Akshay Kumar's sexist words to his daughter Malika Dua” was the result of him “forgetting that he was no less a sexist...”
“I said to myself he’s obviously forgotten that he was no less sexist, no less misogynist, no less creepy a sexual harasser, potential rapist. If he did to me, I’m sure he would have done it to other women. Today, he does programmes explaining the world what constitutes sexual harassment.”Nishtha Jain
She also added that she would not be surprised if Dua denied the allegations against him.
Jain called Dua out for lashing out at actor Akshay Kumar last year for allegedly passing lewd comments against his daughter and comedienne Mallika Dua.
"Sorry, Malika Dua, your father is also one who belongs to the hall of shame," Jain said, concluding her post.
Mallika Hits Back at Nishtha
In an Instagram story, Mallika Dua lashed out at Nishtha Jain, saying that it was not “her battle to fight”, but her father’s.
She added that she will “stand by him” in his fight against the allegations.
(Vinod Dua is yet to release a statement responding to the allegations. The copy will be updated when he issues it.)
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