'Hugged me more out of lust, his hand went dangerously low': Another sex harassment plaint filed against actor-director Arindam Sil
Times of India | 14 September 2024
Arindam Sil KOLKATA: Yet another actor has filed a sexual harassment complaint against actor-director Arindam Sil with the West Bengal Commission for Women (WBCW) and marked the letter to the Womens Forum for Screen Workers +.
The incident had occurred in 2017 and three years later, the actor had spoken about it publicly, only to be refuted by Sil. On Thursday, the actor formally complained to WBCW and told TOI that she was ready to go to the cops if the situation demanded.This complaint comes close on the heels of another actor lodging an FIR, alleging that Sil had kissed her during a film shoot without her consent.
The actor told TOI: "I had gone for a script-reading session at his office. I first felt uncomfortable when he hugged me. I had a hunch that his hug could have been more out of lust than affection. In between reading the script, he first tousled my hair. Then his hand went dangerously low. Next, he walked up to a couch in the room and invited me to sit next to him and hear the rest. That's when I resisted."
On being asked why she didn't approach the WBCW then, the actor said: "I was going through a divorce. I was a single parent and my child was young. Though I shared the details with my mother, I didn't have the guts to openly talk about it then. I didn't know who was trustworthy. Besides, I was scared that my professional life would have been severely compromised if I did. When I spoke out in 2020, the director accused me of having a political agenda. When I read about another actor complaining now, I felt I should speak out."
WBCW chairperson Leena Gangopadhyay said, "We are in receipt of a complaint." However, the purview of a POSH complaint is within a year of occurrence of the incident. "I know that. I am seeking advice from legal experts. If needed, I will go to the cops now," she added. She also alleged that years back, another actress had complained about an indecent proposal made by Sil.
Actor Debdut Ghosh, who was a functionary of West Bengal Motion Picture Artists' Forum during that time, said, "There was a controversy. Matters had reached our forum too. But the actor didn't lodge any written complaint and hence we couldn't do anything."
Sil told TOI: "I had met her after the incident. She had spoken to my wife too. I have all the SMS-es she sent to me, including one where she said 'you be my guide'. I am now proceeding according to my legal advice," Sil said.
On being asked about such an SMS, the actor said, "I was scared to call him out then and needed to survive. So, I had to ensure that I could get the director's professional guidance."