#MeToo: Lasith Malinga named by singer Chinmayi Sripada for sexual assault

Popular singer Chinmayi Sripada on Thursday accused famous Sri Lankan cricketer Lasith Malinga of sexual misconduct. Sripada took to micro-blogging platform Twitter to post about Lasith Malinga’s assault on another woman, who would like to remain anonymous as per her post.

The Indian singer’s post claims that Malinga told the anonymous lady a lie by saying that her friend was inside her room and when she went inside, Malinga pushed her in the bed climbed onto her face.

A hotel staff, who came in to replenish the bar, gave her the perfect opportunity to wash her face and run away from Malinga’s bedroom. However, she said that she was humiliated and afraid to come out as the Sri Lankan seamer was famous.

“I’d like to remain anonymous. A few years back when I was in Mumbai, I was looking for my friend in the hotel we were staying in. I bumped into a very famous Sri Lankan cricketer during the IPL season who said my friend was in his room. I go in and she’s not. He then pushed me in the bed and proceeded to climb onto my face. Mind you I’m tall and about same body weight & I couldn’t fight him back. I closed my eyes and mouth but he used my face. Then the hotel staff knocked on the door to replenish the bar which he went to open the door. I quickly ran into the washroom, washed my face and left as soon as the hotel staff left. I was humiliated. I knew people would say that you knowingly went to his room, he’s famous, you wanted it or worse you deserve it,” wrote Chinmayi Sripada on Twitter.

Cricketer Lasith Malinga. pic.twitter.com/Y1lhbF5VSK

— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) October 11, 2018

The #MeToo campaign started as a hashtag on Twitter in the year 2017, where noted Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment and assault by over 70 women.

The #MeToo movement has taken in India by storm after actor Tanushree Dutta recently alleged that Nana Patekar tried to molest her while shooting for a song for the movie Horn Ok Pleassss in 2008.

Following Tanushree Dutta’s revelation, many women have come out with their stories of facing sexual abuse in the industry, and many popular journalists, comedians, actors, and politicians have been named and shamed on social media as allegations of sexual molestation, misconduct continue to take the industry by storm.