In wake of the #MeToo movement that engulfed Bollywood in the past few months, filmmaker Sajid Khan was accused of sexual harassment by actress Rachel White, assistant director Saloni Chopra and journalist Karishma Upadhyay. Although he denied all allegations levelled against him, the Indian Film and Television Director’s Association (IFTDA) along with its mother organization Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) stated that they will take an action against his misconduct. And we now hear that Sajid has been banned from IFTDA for one year.
The decision came after Sajid appeared before the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of IFTDA on October 31, where allegations against him were investigated. As per a report in a leading daily, when Sajid appeared before the Committee, he did not gave any explanation to defend him against the allegations. Although he admitted that his behaviour and language have been impolite, he denied that he has sexually molested the complainants. Furthermore, he accepted that he has had sexual relations with women but only with their consent.
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File photo of Sajid Khan[/caption]
Considering ICC's verdict, IFTDA has now suspended Sajid's membership for one year although this will be reviewed again after a year. Meanwhile, a copy of the letter has been sent to Sajid as well. Talking about the IFTDA ban on Sajid, Ashoke Pandit (President of IFTDA) told the daily, "By suspending Sajid for a year, we have only tried to put forth a word that there is redressal as long as you have the courage to speak up and bring out the complete truth, better late than never."
Let's not forget, Sajid was also dropped as the director of Housefull 4.
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