NEW DELHI (AP) — India's junior external affairs minister has resigned amid accusations by at least 15 women of sexual harassment during his previous career as a news editor.
Minister M.J. Akbar resigned from the government on Wednesday, saying in a statement that he would "challenge false accusations" in a personal capacity.
Akbar filed a criminal case against journalist Priya Ramani, the first woman to accuse him of harassment, on Monday. Twenty other women signed a statement offering to give their own court testimonies against him.
Akbar joined the government in July 2016 after a lengthy career as a newspaper editor in Kolkata and New Delhi.
In recent weeks, Indian actresses and writers have flooded social media with allegations of sexual harassment and assault by their superiors and colleagues.
