Mumbai Police Charges Ganesh Acharya With Stalking, Voyeurism, Sexual Harassment

The Mumbai Police on March 31, Thursday, filed a charge sheet against National Award-winning choreographer Ganesh Acharya accusing him of sexual harassment, stalking and voyeurism. In 2020, a co-dancer, who was working with Acharya on a project, accused him of sexual harassment and had filed a complaint with Oshiwara Police. Report quoted officer Sandeep Shinde saying that the charge sheet was recently filed in the court of the magistrate concerned.

Ganesh Acharya and his assistant have been charged under sections 354A (sexual harassment), 354 C (voyeurism), 354D (stalking), 509 (insulting the modesty of any woman), 323 (causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention to commit an offence) of the Indian Penal Code.

Suggested Reading: Why It’s Not Easy To Acknowledge Workplace Harassment For Women

Ganesh Acharya Charged for Sexual Misconduct: Here's what happened

• The female choreographer who worked with Acharya on a project in 2009-10 had accused him of sexually harassing her.
• The choreographer alleged that he would often watch pornographic content and that Acharya would intentionally increase volume when any woman visited him in his office.
• The 35-year-old choreographer alleged that when she went to collect her dues from his office in 2019, she was molested by him. She also said that he demanded sexual favours from her in order to “not ruin” her career.
• Six months later, in November 2019, her membership in the Indian Film and Television Choreographers Association was cancelled. Acharya had assumed the post of General Secretary of the association. Acharya’s assistants were accused of assaulting the woman on his behest in January the following year.
• She later went and filed a complaint with Amboli Police station and also said that he was depriving her of work. The woman also alleged that he was demanding commission from her income.
• The woman also approached Maharashtra State Commission for Women simultaneously. The case was later transferred to Oshiwara Police Station from Amboli Police.
• After the choreographer’s complaint, others also came out and accused Acharya of sexually harassing them as well. A dancer accused him of groping her and sexually harassing her under the pretext of teaching jive. She said she was working as a non-member dancer.
• Many people in the Hindi Film Industry like actor Tanushree Dutta, and late ace-choreographer Saroj Khan had criticised Acharya. Khan had also accused him of exploiting his dancers and using his position to malign the Cine Dancers Association (CDA).
• The Mumbai Police, had reportedly, booked him and his two assistant choreographers, Jayshree Kelkar and Preeti Lad, under relevant sections of IPC for sexual harassment, voyeurism, stalking, and criminal intimidation, among other offences.
• The choreographer since the allegations surfaced has maintained that he is being dragged in a falsified case. He alleges that it is because of their vested interests that the women are accusing him of sexual harassment.