Senior Editor at TV9 Bharatvarsh resigns after two colleagues accuse him of sexual harassment: Read details

Harassment at workplace(Representational Image)

The output editor of TV9 Bharatvarsh, Ajay Azad, has reportedly tendered his resignation after allegations of sexual harassment was filed against him by two of his women colleagues within two days of each other this month.

https://twitter.com/TV9Bharatvarsh/status/1220597497032146944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
According to the complaints filed by the victims, Azad is accused of harassment, solicitation and threatening them. The complainants have accused Azad of sending them lewd messages, requesting them for sexual favours in lieu of aiding their career advancement.

The issue came to light when two journalists took to Twitter to express shock and concern over rampant sexual harassment going on at TV9 Bharatvarsh. Journalist Ajit Anjum, without naming the channel, posted a tweet stating that some girls had filed serious allegations with proof against a “rapist mentality” senior.

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Anjum expressed his astonishment that despite providing the evidence, no action was taken against the “senior” for his unsavoury sexual advances against the women trainees.

https://twitter.com/ajitanjum/status/1220568992319856640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Anjum also shared screenshots of a conversation between the ‘senior’ journalist and the apprentice in which the “senior” can be seen proceeding with his amorous overtures with the trainee.

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Another journalist, Vinod Kapri, too shared a long thread on the sexual exploitation faced by the trainees at TV9 Bharatvarsh, allegedly at the hands of senior editor-Ajay Azad. Khapri alleged that Azad used to pressurise his women colleagues to “open up” in front of him, refrain from calling him “Sir”, consider him as their friends, meet him outside office hours and invite him over at their residence.

https://twitter.com/vinodkapri/status/1220380381053980672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
As per Vinod, the complaint against Ajay Azad was filed 6 days ago on January 17-18, by a trainee. The trainee alleged in her complaint that Azad has been sending her objectionable messages for two consecutive months, from two in the morning until the next day.

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According to the complainant, Azad kept prodding her to “open-up” or risk being successful. The trainee was offered her own show, a promise of launching her as an anchor provided she “opened up” with him, Kapri alleged.

https://twitter.com/vinodkapri/status/1220381080018014210?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Kapri claimed that Azad harassed the second victim for as least 5 weeks. He used to send her lewd messages till 3 in the night and then again from seven in the morning. The plaintiff also alleged that the accused alluded her to “break all the barriers” and consider him as her own.

https://twitter.com/vinodkapri/status/1220382252028190720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
As per the complaint filed by the second victim, Ajay persistently kept asking her to meet him outside the office, at a mall or a restaurant or at her place, which she always avoided. She has also accused that Azad started sending her “kisses” etc. on messages. She avoided as much she could while saving her job. However, the plaintiff adds that this only emboldened Azad and his language worsened as he started using vulgar references while commenting on body parts and soliciting her to join him in a room, hotel etc.

https://twitter.com/vinodkapri/status/1220382661945905152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
As the revelations by Kapri and Anjum took the social media by storm, TV9 Bharatvarsh reacted to the charges of sexual harassment by posting a series of tweets, informing about the progress in the aforesaid incident. The news channel admitted that sexual harassment complaints were filed by two journalists against a senior editor and the matter has been transferred to ICC, as per the Sexual harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition & Redressal) Act 2013.

https://twitter.com/TV9Bharatvarsh/status/1220597495044034560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The ICC sent a notice to the respondent after hearing the complaints filed by the victims. The official Twitter handle of TV9 Bharatvarsh asserted that the accused has been sent on leave for the duration of the full inquiry into the matter, following which the respondent had resigned and his resignation was immediately accepted by the organisation.

OpIndia Staff: Staff reporter at OpIndia