Chetan Bhagat Responds to #MeToo Allegations: 'I am Not a Harasser; Never Was, Never Will Be'

Chetan Bhagat Responds to #MeToo Allegations: 'I am Not a Harasser; Never Was, Never Will Be'

The wave of #MeToo allegations where numerous public personalities name have flooded Twitter timelines in India from the last week was the writer Chetan Bhagat.

In social media, screenshots have been shared by a person who wished to remain unnamed narrated a scenario where the writer had engaged in an undesirable flirtation. Another account on Facebook from a female journalist is of the opinion that Bhagat had refused to answer questions over a phone interview until and unless she sent him her pictures. Again another woman who authored an erotic book made a public conversation in which Bhagat seemingly asked her questions like "What is the wildest sexual thing you have ever done?" and "Do your sexual partners get intimidated by you?"

However, the author, in the beginning, responded with a letter on Facebook, addressing the screenshots shared.

To which Bhagat said he was being "attacked and vilified. In the post, he wrote a letter to his fans and readers and shared on Facebook on the morning of 10 October. He wrote "I want you to know that I am suffering because my name is being dragged into needless controversies, and my family and I are being harassed. In the garb of the #MeToo movement, which definitely has genuine cases, I am being attacked and vilified. Let me tell you upfront — I am not a harasser. Never was, never will be."

Mentioning that "a flirtatious, but friendly and polite conversation" that was a completely personal matter and has blown out of proportion, Bhagat said "...my name was added to a growing list of people accused of the most heinous crimes and flashed all over as a part of rape, sexual assault and all kinds of major criminal activity stories".

He said that screenshots of WhatsApp conversations can be doctored and also the authenticity of such claims could be doubted.

"The #MeToo movement has its good parts and has some good people with genuine grievances. I am with them. However, the movement is already getting corrupted and genuine survivors will suffer if people don’t take it seriously," he further said.

In a previous post he said he had "found this person special, and different from all others", that he "had not felt that kind of connection in a while" with a request for forgiveness to his wife.

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