Me Too movement: Maharashtra Women Commission issues notice to Nana Patekar seeking reply within 10 days

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Taking note of a harassment complaint by Tanushree Dutta, Maharashtra State Commission for Women on Tuesday issued notices to actor Nana Patekar, producer Samee Siddiqui, choreographer Ganesh Acharya and director Rakesh Sarang. The commission has sent notices to those named by Tanushree and asked them to revert within 10 days with their response, its chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said.

The commission has also written to Mumbai police, seeking information on the action it had taken on Dutta’s complaint in this regard. Dutta had sought the commission’s intervention after claiming that Nana allegedly misbehaved with her on the sets of a film in 2008. Nana has dismissed the allegations against him.

In a video statement, Rahatkar said the panel has taken cognisance of Tanushree’s complaint on her alleged sexual harassment. “We have asked them (Patekar and the three others) to present their side within 10 days. We have also asked Dutta to appear before the commission and share more information in the matter,” Rahatkar said.

The commission wrote to Mumbai police commissioner seeking an update about the progress made in the case after Tanushree filed a complaint with the Oshiwara police station on Saturday.

The commission also asked film producers, media houses and cine artist associations to set up an internal committee to address complaints filed by women in Bollywood.“I have sent a letter to production houses and artists’ association to ensure that an internal complaints committee, which is mandated by law, is set up,” she said.

In her complaint, Tanushree claimed that during the shooting of a song sequence for the film Horn OK Pleassss in 2008, she was being inappropriately touched by Nana even after she had clearly mentioned that she will not enact or perform any lewd, vulgar or uncomfortable steps.

She said she had complained to Ganesh but was forced to do scenes which were intimate and included Nana touching her inappropriately. After she decided to walk out of the film, her car was vandalised by goons, which she alleged were from the Raj Thackeray-led MNS.