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#MeToo: Sona Mahapatra And At Least 4 Other Women Have Called Out Kailash Kher For Sexual Harassment

Over the past few days, several woman have accused Kher of touching them inappropriately or making lewd propositions.
Kailash Kher in a file photo.
Getty Images
Kailash Kher in a file photo.

Singer Sona Mahapatra on Wednesday shared her story of sexual harassment by Kailash Kher on Twitter after at least four other women raised allegations against the singer.

Over the past few days, since the #MeToo movement has taken the media and entertainment industries by storm, several woman have accused Kher of touching them inappropriately or making lewd propositions.

Mahapatra broke her silence, saying:

Mahapatra alleged that Kher continued to misbehave with her as they landed in Dhaka for the tour.

On 8 October, a Twitter user, who said she used to be Kher's fan outed him for his predatory behaviour when she met him during her college days.

In a series of tweets, she said that had tweeted at Kher, "telling him how he has shaped our lives with hope".

She said that Kher replied to her tweets asking for her phone number and began to text her on WhatsApp. "What followed completely destroyed the ideal KK. He is a predator. he write things poetically. things like - "tum meri pagli ho. Drown in my love. Tum meri jogi ho. Mirror me dekho mai dikhunga tumhe. Touching every part of your soul." It was here when I realised what he is," she says in her tweet.

She said that he had asked her to see him multiple times at shows or private gatherings in hotels. She said she never met him and had to block him.

Another woman, who said Kher's wife was a family friend, alleged that the singer was a regular visitor at her home and would often make inappropriate remarks.

She said that he called her asking her to come for a tour with him saying "aap bahut Sundar lagti ho, spiritual &sexy. I am booking your tickets, Mera tour hai, aap bhi saath aaye." The woman added that despite her refusal, he kept messaging her until she had to block him.

On 6 October, a photojournalist took to Twitter to recount her story from when she was working at Hindustan Times in Mumbai.

She said that she went to Kher's home to take photos of him for an interview in 2006, along with another woman colleague. He allegedly sat uncomfortably close to the two of them and put his hand on their thighs.

Another journalist from Muscat wrote anonymously to journalist Sandhya Menon, speaking of her experience with Kher. The journalist alleged that Kher would "find a way to touch my thigh" every time they spoke.

Kher is among several others like Alok Nath, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Rajat Kapoor, Vivek Agnihotri and Nana Patekar, who have been named by women in the #MeToo movement.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.