Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Wednesday, October 12, said she has been getting rape threats on social media after she wrote a letter to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur to remove filmmaker Sajid Khan from Bigg Boss over allegations of sexual harassment against him by several women during the #MeToo movement.
'Arrest those who are behind this'
Maliwal has already filed a police complaint regarding the matter and is hoping the authorities will take stern action against the culprits. Sharing screenshots of the threats, Maliwal tweeted in Hindi, "Ever since I wrote a letter to the I and B minister to get #SajidKhan out of Bigg Boss, I have been receiving rape threats on Instagram. Obviously, they want to stop this. I am filing a complaint with Delhi Police. Register FIR and investigate. Arrest those who are behind this!"
Earlier in her letter, Maliwal pointed out that Sajid Khan's participation in the popular reality show "gives him an undue opportunity to whitewash his wrongs and be re-launched amongst Indian audiences."
She tweeted, "Ten women had accused Sajid Khan of sexual harassment during the #MeToo movement. All these complaints show the disgusting mentality of Sajid. Now, this man has been given a place in Bigg Boss, which is wrong. I have written to @ianuragthakur to have Sajid Khan removed from this show."
Will Sajid Khan be removed from Bigg Boss 16?
She noted that though there is a public outcry against the filmmaker's participation in the show, the makers are clearly giving a deaf ear to that as they apparently gain TRP ratings and viewership due to the ensuing controversy. Maliwal said, "The allegations against Sajid Khan are extremely serious in nature and should be investigated at the earliest. Under no circumstances such alleged sexual offenders should be promoted on national television and OTT platforms."
Director Sajid Khan's participation in the ongoing season of Bigg Boss 16 has led to a lot of anger among people. In 2018, Sajid Khan was suspended for a year by the Indian Film and Television Directors' Association (IFTDA) after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment.
Popular actresses, including Saloni Chopra, Sherlyn Chopra, Aahana Kumra and Mandana Karimi, had allegedly levelled the allegations against him. Earlier that year, he also stepped down as director of "Housefull 4" and was replaced by Farhad Samji.
