Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) would mediate between Kannada actress Sruthi Hariharan and actor Arjun Sarja, who she had accused of sexual abuse through a #MeToo post on social media.
The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) attempts to douse the fire between actress Sruthi Hariharan and actor Arjun Sarja, after she accused him of sexual abuse. The KFCC is looking forward to setting up a meeting between the two to settle the turbulence caused by her #MeToo post against Arjun Sarja.
Sruthi alleged that Arjun had touched her inappropriately while rehearsing a scene in the bilingual film Vismaya.
"During the rehearsal, we delivered our lines and Mr. Arjun hugs me. With no forewarning or permission, he runs his hands intimately up and down my back. He pulls me closer with my body taut against his and asks the director if we could use this idea of foreplay in the scene," said the actress.
ALSO WATCH: #MeToo: Actress Kushboo stands up in support of Arjun Sarja, accused of sexual harassment (Video)
KFCC president Chinne Gowda clearly stated that unless she makes a proper complaint, further action cannot be taken. Former KFCC president Sa Ra Govindu said that Sruthi is making false accusations for the sake of publicity and he reportedly questioned her mental state.
Prakash Raj, Samyuktha Hegde and Shraddha Srinath from the industry have recently expressed their support to the actress in the issue.
ALSO READ: #MeToo: Actress Sruthi Hariharan accuses south star Arjun Sarja of harassment
An anonymous woman from the industry backed Sruthi’s claims and added that there are so many persons, who have been subjected to Arjun's advances on the shooting set.
Arjun Sarja is reportedly going to approach the court to file a defamation suit against Sruthi for her derogatory comments about him.
Supporters of Arjun alleged that Sruthi is making false statements and they staged a small protest outside the KFCC office claiming for a ban on Sruthi Hariharan.
As more sexual exploitation accusations in the industry are surfacing in the public domain, the Film Industry for Rights and Equity (FIRE) appealed to the KFCC to refer all sexual harassment complaints they receive to FIRE’s Internal Complaints Committee.
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.