Allegations returned to Anu Malik’s court following #MeeToo this year

After an constant
objections against music composer Anu Malik on social media over #MeToo
allegations, he announced on Thursday that he has stepped down as the judge from
music reality show, Indian Idol 11.

In 2018,
singer Sona Mohapatra and other women had named Anu Malik, accusing him of
sexual misconduct of which, he was forced to quit Indian Idol 10.

As he returned
this year as one of the show’s judges, singers Neha Bhasin and Shweta Pandit
joined Sona in accusing him of alleged sexual harassment.

A few days
ago, Anu wrote a post on Instagram claiming “false and unverified allegations”
were made against him and that he was in pain and in a dark space.

He said he
wanted justice. It was followed by Sona gaining huge support on social media as
she demanded his removal from the reality show.

Talking
about stepping down, music director Anu Malik says, “I have not quit the show.
I have taken a three-week break. I want to clear my name and return to the
show. If someone is saying things about me again and again on social media, it
gets to you. I wrote an Insta post explaining that I am in a dark space. This
Twitter campaign has been going on since a while and I was tired of these
false, malicious accusations on social media. The best thing is once you clear
your name and go back to business, it is good for everyone.”

Malik
reveals that Sony TV never asked him “to step down or quit”. “Sony has been so supportive.
Last season, I quit and this year, they got me back. They wouldn’t have brought
me back if I was not in the clear.”

He added saying, If they
had any doubts about me, they wouldn’t have approached me at all. This time, I
told them that people keep saying things about me so this time, I will come
back after clearing my name.