#MeToo Impact : CINTAA to take action against Alok Nath but silent on Tanushree Dutta-Nana Patekar case
In the last one month, the #MeToo Movement in India has gained momentum, with several women coming out and calling out sexual predators at work. With names of actors like Nana Patekar and Alok Nath present in the list of accused, CINTAA (Cine and Television Artistes Association) also spoke about the action that they are expected to take against the offenders.
Vikram Gokhale, President of the association was asked about his closeness to Patekar. He then responded by saying, “I don’t want to comment on the Tanushree Dutta-Nana Patekar case because it’s sub judice. Till we are legally allowed to talk about it, we won’t take any sides.” Sushant defended Gokhale and added, “Nana and Tanushree are both still part of CINTAA. Their case is a legal one now. Any action that has to be taken can only happen after the investigation is over and the verdict is out. We have certain rules, on the basis of which, we aren’t allowed to take up a case that is more than three years old. So we had asked Tanushree to file a complaint again. But a police case was filed and two parallel investigations can’t happen. Let the law take its own course. Nana is co-operating with the police, too.”
As for Alok Nath, the artistes’ union is taking a different course. “I personally believe what Vinta (Nanda) wrote. There are several other members who came out and spoke about the harassment they faced at the hands of Alok Nath. We are working on this case and Navneet Nishan has also informed us that she will corroborate Vinta’s statement. He has responded to our show cause notice and he has asked us to not expel him till court orders,” Sushant told the press.
How does that solve the case, we ask. He reiterated, “We are not saying we will not take any action against Alok. He has made his requests and we are yet to sit and decide on what the outcome will be. Since I personally voiced my opinion on a public platform, it won’t be right for me to sit and take part in this decision. We need to define punishment for what one has done. As a trade union, we can only expel such people from associations. But as an industry, we need to think.”