Save Sabarimala activist Rahul Easwar named in #MeToo movement

Thiruvananthapuram: Rahul Easwar, president of Ayyappa Dharma Sena, is the latest person to be named in the #MeToo campaign. The allegation was posted on social media by an artist on an activist's on Facebook page titled 'Inji Pennu'.

In the post, the woman alleged that one of her friend who is now a well know artist had faced sexual harassment from Rahul Easwar when she was just 18 year old. The woman said that the victim narrated the incident to her.

"Yesterday morning, a woman who is a well-known artist and a friend of mine, with whom I occasionally chat mostly personal stuff approached me and started to narrate these incidents about Rahul Easwar. I was stunned," wrote Inji Pennu on her Facebook.

Inju Pennu also shared the testimonial shared by her friend and the victim on the same post.

In the post, the victim revealed that the incident happened when she had passed out from her class 12 (around the year 2003-2004) in Trivandrum when Rahul Easwar had invited her to his flat telling that his mother was also there. However, when the victim reached Rahul Easwar's flat, his mother was not there, and Rahul allegedly had put on some movie which was soft porn. He then started to give her a tour of his flat and then initiated tried to kiss her multiple times.

"When he befriended me, I was happy. Then one day, he invited me to his house, saying his mother is also there and we all can have a discussion. When I entered his flat, I got the wind that his mother was not there. I started to get a little scared. I was very young and naive. He had put on some movie which was soft porn. I started to feel very uneasy. Then he started to give me a tour of his flat. He showed a room and said that is his bedroom. Then he initiated to touch me and kiss me," wrote the victim.

"I want to say this today, as I see him everywhere now and these memories came rushing back on how he used to be. I strongly doubt his beliefs and words. Is he sincere and mean all that he is saying now? In that case his actions were opposite to that back in those days," asked the woman questioning Easwar, who is now in the forefront of Sabarimala protests.

 

 

Rahul Easwar is yet to respond to the allegations. He recently made headlines for his provocative statements on the entry of women of menstruating age (10 to 50 years) into the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala. He was arrested on Sunday but released on bail.

The #MeToo movement has gathered momentum in India with a number of women speaking out on sexual harassment and support for them has been pouring in from various quarters.

The biggest scalp to go till now in the #MeToo movement is that of former junior foreign minister M J Akbar who has been accused by over a dozen women of sexual harassment.

Actors Alok Nath and director Sajid Khan are the other high-profile ‘predators’, with the television actor being accused of rape by writer Vinta Nanda. Sajid Khan flashed and now has been dropped as director of that rather inane franchise Houseful 4.

Actor Nana Patekar too is accused of harassment by Tanushree Dutta.