Indian Idol 11: Anu Malik Says ‘Haven’t Quit Show’, Will Return After ‘Clearing Name In 3 Weeks’

Anu Malik recently announced that he has decided to step down as Indian Idol judge the second time in a row over incessant outcry by social activists, netizens demanding his removal owing to sexual harassment allegations against him.

The music composer recently in an interview said, “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.”

In 2018, singer Sona Mohapatra and other women had named Anu Malik, accusing him of sexual misconduct. Post that, he was forced to quit Indian Idol 10. As he was reinstated this year as one of the show’s judges, singers Neha Bhasin and Shweta Pandit joined Sona in accusing him of alleged sexual harassment.

Sona Mohaptra calling Anu Malik's exit a 'moral victor' told IANS, "It's a battle of the whole country. There are so many people who did not want to see this person (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 added, "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."

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

 

A few days ago, Anu wrote a post on Instagram claiming “false and unverified allegations” were leveled 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.

pic.twitter.com/v7T8kIhsiA

— Anu Malik (@The_AnuMalik) November 14, 2019

 

Meanwhile, channel that airs the show was sent a notice by the National Commission of Women. The commission also shared the notice on their official Twitter handle. They captioned it, "@NCWIndia has taken Suo-motu cognizance of this matter and send a notice to Sony Entertainment Television @sharmarekha @MinistryWCD @PMOIndia."

The commission mentioning singer Sona Mohapatra's tweet asked the channel to clarify what action was taken on the same. It reads, "The National Commission for Women has come across a Twitter post of Ms Sona Mohapatra wherein it has been alleged that Sony TV has ignored the testimonies of multiple women against a person regarding sexual harassment and assault has further been made a judge for youngsters on national television."

The singing reality show in its 11th season also has Neha Kakkar and Vishal Dadlani as its guest.