#MeToo: Nandita Das' father Jatin Das accused of harassment, painter denies

New Delhi: A woman, who is the co-founder of a paper-making company, Tuesday claimed that she was sexually harassed 14 years ago by noted painter Jatin Das, allegations which he dismissed as "vulgar". Das is the latest addition to a growing list of men who have been named as part of the #MeToo campaign that has taken the country by storm. Nisha Bora took to Twitter to level these allegations against Das. Describing the incident, Bora, who was 28 years old then, said Das during a dinner event asked whether she "had time and willingness to assist him for few days to organise his work material", and after she gave her approval on second day -- at his Khidki village studio -- he molested her. "... He attempted to grab me. I wriggled out of his embrace, flustered. Then he did it again... I pushed him away and moved away from him. "At that moment he said, 'Come on, it would be nice'. Or something like that. What I recall was his disbelief that I was pushing back. I picked my bag... and ran home. Never to speak about it. Until now," she said. In her post, she also mentioned that two days later, she received a call from his daughter, renowned actor-director Nandita Das, who wanted to know if "she could help her find a young female assistant (like myself)". "She introduced herself (Nandita) to me and said that her father had given her my number... Today, the brazenness of that man is making me breathless. "At that time, I recall the phone call felt like a knife being twisted in my gut because I had so, so much admiration for her, and it all become so incredibly filthy at that time," she added.

#MeToo One of India's most feted artists alive. Padma Bhushan recipient. My molestor. Long post alert. @IndiaMeToo and so MANY other women, starting with @Rxyxsx Thank you for so much. pic.twitter.com/a6VFC6iHys

— Nisha Bora (@NishaBora) October 16, 2018

However, Padma Bhushan awardee Das denied all the allegations and said these days a "game" is going on to level allegations against people for the "fun" of it. He labelled the allegations against him as "vulgar". "I am shocked. All kinds of things are happening these days... Some people do things and some people make allegations. I don't know her, I have never met her, and even if I did met somebody somewhere one doesn't behave like this... It is vulgar. "There is a game going on, some people are real have done some things while some people are making allegations for the fun of it," Das told PTI. Bora then sought to clarify on certain details including why she has come out in the open after so many years. "Why day 2? Because I was in his house on day 1, where he didn't have the opportunity. His wife and child were inside. "... Why didn't I out him then? I had been married for about a year... I was concerned for everybody, but myself, and believed, with the foolishness of inexperience that I could (and should as a 'strong' woman) 'handle' it. Here's how I handled it -- I internalized, normalized and embraced it," she wrote. Bora said that last week while conversing with "every single person from the arts/design/literary world" she came to know that Das is a known "serial-predator". But that was not the only "striking" fact about Das, she stated. "He is older than my father. His daughter is older than me. My in-laws were our common-connection. It did not deter him. In fact he went on to pass my number on to his daughter. A few hours after she had posted this, the twitterati began to bash Nandita and Bora came to her defense just a few minutes ago. She posted two tweets for Nandita, the first out of which read- "I see very many people using my statement to take down @NanditaDas with vile accusations An e.g - "pimping for her father". I want to clarify that my experience had nothing to do with her, except that she added to his aura. Although I understand that this is potentially (1/2)"

I see very many people using my statement to take down @NanditaDas with vile accusations An e.g - "pimping for her father". I want to clarify that my experience had nothing to do with her, except that she added to his aura. Although I understand that this is potentially (1/2)

— Nisha Bora (@NishaBora) October 16, 2018

And the second one read - "naive and utopian, Nandita I want to let you know that it was/is not my intention for this to happen. To anybody reading this - please know that I do not endorse your vilification campaign of a woman for her father's actions. # NotInMyName (2/2)"

naive and utopian, Nandita I want to let you know that it was/is not my intention for this to happen. To anybody reading this - please know that I do not endorse your vilification campaign of a woman for her father's actions. # NotInMyName (2/2)

— Nisha Bora (@NishaBora) October 16, 2018

"Now, it seems like the theatre of the absurd (mixed with a healthy dose of rage). Then, it felt like absolute anguish," she said. (With inputs in PTI copy)