Singer Sona Mohapatra on Friday asked Delhi government to withdraw its decision to invite Kailash Kher to perform at a cultural festival organised by it in view of the sexual harassment allegations levelled against him.
Harassment allegations
Ms. Mohapatra launched an online petition seeking support for her demand addressed to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Ms. Mohapatra reiterated her own allegations of harassment, which she had made publicly a few months ago as a part of the #MeToo wave, as well as allegations by other women.
“I am not the only one. With the #MeToo movement that has taken India by storm, there are other women who have raised their voice against Kailash Kher. Be it a photojournalist, a fan or another journalist — all these women have been sexually harassed and have come forward with their names,” she wrote in her Change.org petition.
She added that she was shocked to learn that the Delhi government’s Mayur Utsav, which started on Friday, would include Mr. Kher as the headliner on Sunday.
Mr. Sisodia could not be reached for comment, while an official in the Arts, Culture and Languages Department, which is organising the event, declined to comment.
