Author Chetan Bhagat has apologised in a Facebook post after a woman journalist shared a WhatsApp chat on social media amid a #metoo movement that has seen several women accuse public figures of sexual harassment. Bhagat said in his post on Saturday that he wanted “to make a couple of points about the screenshots that someone has shared,” and that he was “really sorry.”
According to Hindustan Times, Bhagat also said that he put up the post after having a discussion with his wife Anusha, to whom he has been married for 20 years.
“But first of all, I am really sorry to the person concerned. The screenshots are of course real and I am sorry if you felt they were wrong. I hope you will accept my apology,” wrote Bhagat.
In the screenshots shared, Bhagat says “After a long time someone engaged me and could keep up with my pace of thought”. In his Facebook post he said “Maybe I was going through a phase, maybe these things just happen, or maybe I felt the person felt the same too based on our conversations (which I don’t need to repeat here). However, it was stupid of me, to feel that way and to even share that with her.”
He clarified that he had not sent her any obscene messages or photos and had deleted her number too after the conversation.
After actor Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexual harassment, many in the entertainment and media industry have been called out in such cases. Actor Kangana Ranaut, who accused Super 30 director Vikas Bahl of molestation, said the director had harassed her on the sets of Queen as well.
In an interview, Kangana also revealed that she even lost out on a few projects after she decided to help the girl who accused Vikas Bahl of sexual harassment.
The AIB stand-up comic Utsav Chakraborty has also been accused of sexual misconduct by several women.
Reacting to the allegations, the AIB posted an apology on social media titled “We’re sorry”, saying “we messed up” and we should have cut ties with Chakraborty immediately after complaints.
