Swati Maliwal, Chief of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has written a letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, seeking the removal of filmmaker Sajid Khan from television reality show Bigg Boss 16.
The filmmaker, who entered the show on 1 October, has been accused of sexual harassment and obscene behavior by over ten women, as per a statement released by the DCW.
In addition to the DCW statement, several journalists and actresses had come forward, speaking about alleged sexual assault by Sajid Khan during the #MeToo movement.
Following the controversy, the Housefull director was suspended by the Indian Film and Television Association in 2019, from further directing movies.
Maliwal stated in her letter that it is "very unfortunate" that just a few years later, Sajid Khan is now participating as a 'housemate' in the new season of Bigg Boss. She added, "As the complaints against him reveal, it appears that Sajid Khan has acted as a sexual predator for a long time. Clearly it is inappropriate for an alleged sexual offender such as Sajid Khan to be included in a primetime show which is watched by adults and children alike. This apparently gives him an undue opportunity to 'whitewash' his wrongs and be re-launched amongst Indian audiences."
Maliwal requested Anurag Thakur to intervene in the matter and take necessary action, barring Sajid Khan from participating in the show.
She continued in the letter, "Sajid Khan’s inclusion in the show underlines the precedence that men who enjoy clout in the entertainment industry easily get away with abusive acts without facing any consequences. It also disrespects and invalidates those women who spoke out against his inappropriate sexual advances. They are upcoming celebrities in Bollywood and risked their careers to come forward and complain against abuse by an authority figure.
"I demand that Sajid Khan should be barred from participating in the upcoming reality show and investigation should be conducted against him".
Bigg Boss 16, hosted by actor Salman Khan, premiered on 1 October.
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