It’s straining men (too)

Much has happened in the recent past, where celeb and non-celeb women have come forward to take a stance against the abuse they’ve faced from influential men at workplaces and elsewhere. #MeToo, a movement that began its viral fame since October 2017, had found its ground in India too, be it in Bollywood or otherwise. In fact, some high-profile cases are still being heard in court.

However, given false allegations that have also come to light, the #MeToo movement in India has slowly but steadily started transforming into the #MenToo movement.

Recently, actress Esha Gupta uploaded a post on her social media, vilifying and abusing a businessman named Rohit Vig for allegedly ‘raping’ her with his eyes at a restaurant in Delhi. Now, Rohit has slapped a defamation suit against the actress, accusing her of maligning his name without discernible provocation.

Insensitive smattering
The defamation suit filed by his lawyer Vikas Pahwa declares, “The mental agony caused to the complainant is continuing every day since close friends and colleagues are contacting him and his family on a continuous basis and expressing displeasure over the content posted by the accused... many members of the public have been expressing doubts on the integrity and moral character of the complainant believing the false and defamatory statements to be true.”

Genuine concerns or ego trips?
Another ‘MenToo’ victim is singer–actor Karan Oberoi. Recently, he faced a month-long jail-term for alleged sexual misconduct, where the woman later staged her own attack to prevent Oberoi’s bail.

Given the state of affairs, Karan feels, “It was something that was bound to happen. You can’t tarnish a man’s reputation he has built all his life by using his pic to name and shame him, without him having a chance to give his response. Shocking!” says Karan of the recent Esha incident.

He rightly feels the matter could have been resolved in a civil manner. “This could very well have been sorted out by speaking to him and making your displeasure known, and complaining to the right authority at the hotel to investigate the matter, or by including the cops, if you felt that the offence was of that serious nature. Ms Esha Gupta is a strong, empowered woman who speaks her mind effectively and strongly, and that would have been a more appropriate response in my opinion,” added Karan.