Anu Malik resigns from ‘Indian Idol 11’
After much furore about his return to the Sony Entertainment Television series, ‘Indian Idol’, musician Anu Malik has stepped down from his role as judge.
Malik had been under huge pressure to resign after he was accused of sexual allegations by a number of singers including Sona Mohapatra, Neha Bhasin and Shweta Pandit. Malik walked away from the series half-way last year due to the claims. However, his position was reinstated this year.
Mohapatra had regularly campaigned for him to leave the show. Upon hearing the news today, Mohapatra branded the decision, a “symbolic victory”. She added, “It’s great news. Sony TV took a long time to do this but I am happy that he has finally stepped down from the show. It’s a battle of the whole country. There are so many people who did not want to see this person (Anu Malik) flaunting himself on national television because it gives a lot of wrong messages to predators that they can also get away with such a thing.”
She said, “I was fighting for fairness and justice. Now, after hearing this news, I think it is a victory for everybody – not just me but also for all other women who were badly treated by him. It is a symbolic victory. Our fight is not over yet, it’s just a start. We are not going to sit here and let people to take us for granted.”
My open letter to the honourable minister for women & child development.??. @smritiirani ,I hugely admire you, your tenacity & commitment to work for the welfare of people in India & I request you to please read this.Many more women are writing in to me privately about this man?? pic.twitter.com/Z8bU8RG528
— ShutUpSona (@sonamohapatra) November 21, 2019
Thank you to all the women & men & the media of India who supported our campaign #MoveOutMalik . A repeat offender like Anu Malik on national tv triggered a lot of trauma, pain & stress in many of our lives. I have been ill for a while & I hope to sleep well tonight. ??
— ShutUpSona (@sonamohapatra) November 21, 2019