'False and fabricated': MJ Akbar's full statement on #MeToo allegations
New Delhi, Oct 14: Union minister M J Akbar on Sunday rejected allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against him by multiple women and threatened to take legal action against them.
The Minister of State for External Affairs issued a statement, trashing the allegations, hours after he returned from a trip to Africa.
"Allegations of misconduct made against me are false and fabricated. These false, baseless and wild allegations have caused irreparable damage to my reputation," he said in the statement.
Here's the full text of M.J. Akbar
The
allegations
of
misconduct
made
against
me
are
false
and
fabricated,
spiced
up
by
innuendo
and
malice.
I
could
not
reply
earlier
as
I
was
on
an
official
tour
abroad.
Accusation
without
evidence
has
become
a
viral
fever
among
some
sections.
Whatever
be
the
case,
now
that
I
have
returned,
my
lawyers
will
look
into
these
wild
and
baseless
allegations
in
order
to
decide
our
future
course
of
legal
action.
My
response
is:
Ms
Priya
Ramani
began
this
campaign
a
year
ago
with
a
magazine
article.
She
did
not
however
name
me
as
she
knew
it
was
an
incorrect
story.
When
asked
recently
why
she
had
not
named
me,
she
replied,
in
a
Tweet:
"Never
named
him
because
he
didn't
'do' anything."
If I didn't do anything, where and what is the story? There is no story. This was admitted at the very inception. But a sea of innuendo, speculation and abusive diatribe has been built around something that never happened. Some are total, unsubstantiated hearsay; others confirm, on the record, that I didn't do anything. Let me note examples. Shutapa Paul states, "The man never laid a hand on me."
Shuma Raha says, "I must clarify, however, that he didn't actually 'do' anything". One woman, Anju Bharti, went to the absurd extent of claiming I was partying in a swimming pool. I do not know how to swim.
Another accusation was made repeatedly by Ms Ghazala Wahab, in an effort to damage my reputation. She claimed that she had been molested in office, 21 years ago. This is 16 years before I entered public life, and when I was in media. The only office where I worked with her was that of The Asian Age. A part of the editorial team then worked out of a small hall. At the time concerned, I had a very tiny cubicle, patched together by plywood and glass. Others had tables and chairs two feet away. It is utterly bizarre to believe that anything could have happened in that tiny space, and, moreover, that no one else in the vicinity would come to know, in the midst of a working day. These allegations are false, motivated and baseless.
Ms Wahab states that she complained to Ms Veenu Sandal, who wrote features for the paper. Ms Sandal has described Ms Wahab's version as nonsense, in an interview to the Indian Express. Ms Sandal has also said that she has never heard, in 20 years, anybody accusing me of any such thing.
It is pertinent to remember that both Ms Ramani and Ms Wahab kept working with me even after these alleged incidents; this clearly establishes that they had no apprehension and discomfort. The reason why they remained silent for decades is very apparent: as Ms Ramani has herself stated, I never did anything. This is the reason why no one went to the authorities for so long, because I had done nothing.
Why has this storm risen a few months before a general election? Is there an agenda? You be the judge. These false, baseless and wild allegations have caused irreparable damage to my reputation and goodwill. Lies do not have legs, but they do contain poison, which can be whipped into a frenzy. This is deeply distressing. As indicated above, I will be taking appropriate legal action.
OneIndia News (with ANI inputs)