#MeToo: Gaurav Bhatia, MD of Sotheby's India, steps down following sexual harassment allegations

Following the complaints, Bhatia went on an indefinite leave.

IANS|

Jan 05, 2019, 12.39 PM IST

Following the complaints, Bhatia went on an indefinite leave from his position ahead of the auction house's inaugural sale in Mumbai.

NEW DELHI: Following sexual harassment allegations in November 2018 and an indefinite period of leave, Sotheby's Managing Director for India Gaurav Bhatia has stepped down from the post, an official statement said on Saturday.

Confirming the news, Bhatia in a statement said he has decided to move on from Sotheby's and wished the company luck for their future endeavours.

"After two enriching years and the stellar opportunity to launch Sotheby's inaugural auction in Mumbai, I have decided to move on. It has been a pleasure working with the great team we have built, and I will enjoy watching them continue to build Sotheby's future in India. I wish them the very best," he said.

2018: The Year When #MeToo Shook India

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2018: The Year Of #MeToo In India

27 Dec, 2018

2018 saw the rise of the #MeToo movement in India. Inspired by a global campaign against sexual harassment and assault, women across the spectrum opened up and shared their stories about abuse by men in positions of power. And it began in October with actress Tanushree Dutta accusing actor Nana Patekar of sexual harassment while shooting for the 2008 film 'Horn Ok Please'.

What followed was a series of posts by other women who shared their experiences with the world. From actors, film directors to advertising top guns, artists and writers and politicians, women professionals called out obnoxious behaviour at the workplace. From unwanted attention in the office to sexual innuendos on the film set, there were many kinds of allegations that surfaced.

As the year ends, we look back at all those who were accused of inappropriate behaviour and harassment.

(In Pic: From top left, Nana Patekar, Aditi Mittal, Subhash Ghai, Anirban Das Blah. From bottom left, Alok Nath, Sajid Khan, Jatin Das, Vikas Bahl)

Nana Patekar, Tanushree Dutta

27 Dec, 2018

Former actress Tanushree Dutta in September accused Nana Patekar of sexually harassing her during the shooting of their 2008 film 'Horn Ok Pleassss'. Dutta went on to say that she had brought up the complaint 10 years ago when the incident occurred, but no action was taken.The actress also said that she was supposed to do a solo number for the film, but Patekar decided to join in and perform intimate dance steps that made her uncomfortable.Patekar denied the allegations and sent a legal notice to the actress, who filed a police complaint against the actor and the film's choreographer Ganesh Acharya, producer Samee Siddiqui and director Rakesh Sarang. Meanwhile, Rakhi Sawant who had replaced Dutta in the song for the film, then accused her of taking drugs on the set. Dutta slapped a Rs 10 crore defamation suit against Sawant. (In Pic: On the left Nana Patekar, on the right is Tanushree Dutta)

Vinta Nanda, Alok Nath, Sandhya Mridul

27 Dec, 2018

Alok Nath, known for his popular on-screen portrayals, found himself in the midst of the #MeToo controversy after writer-director Vinta Nanda accused him of rape. Actress Sandhya Mridul also alleged that he had made sexual advances towards her during a shoot. Nanda had alleged that the actor had raped her 19 years ago. Nath, however, refuted the allegations and filed a civil defamation suit against Nanda. Nath's wife Ashu had also recorded her statement in court against Nanda and sought defamation against the writer-director. Mridul, while slamming Nath for causing agony, praised Tanushree Dutta and Vinta Nanda for their courage to come forward and urged others to not be ashamed and ‘keep this fire going.’ (In Pic: From the left, Vinta Nanda, Alok Nath and Sandhya Mridul)

Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap, Kangana Ranaut

27 Dec, 2018

On October 6, hours after Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Madhu Matena and Vikas Bahl announced the decision to dissolve their production house Phantom Films, director Bahl was accused of sexual harassment by a former employee. The victim who had worked on the production house's film 'Bombay Velvet' recalled her ordeal with Bahl in 2015. Soon after, Kashyap and Motwane went on record to say that they were informed about the allegations by the employee and detailed the backdoor deliberations that took place in order to punish their partner. Their statement led to Bahl filing a Rs 10 crore defamation suit against them. The 'Queen' director also demanded interim action from the court seeking to restrain Kashyap and Motwane from making statements against him to media or through social media. Now, while the woman has refused to take any legal action while saying that she stands by her claims, the former partners are fighting it out in court.(In Pic: Top left is Vikas Bahl, top right is Vikramaditya Motwane, bottom left is Anurag Kashyap, bottom right is Kangana Ranaut)

Sajid Khan, Saloni Chopra, Priyanka Bose, Mandana Karimi

27 Dec, 2018

Sajid Khan had to step down from 'Houseful 4' after multiple allegations of sexual impropriety surfaced against the Bollywood director. His close friend and aide in Bollywood, Akshay Kumar also chose to not support him and decided not to shoot if Khan was on-board. On October 11, an aspiring actress, Saloni Chopra had posted a detailed account of the harrowing time she had with Khan. A freelance journalist also claimed that Khan had exposed himself when she was interviewing him in the early 2000s. After the allegations, Khan stepped down from the upcoming comedy 'Housefull 4'. The movie, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and being distributed by Fox Star Studios, is the latest entry in a franchise that began in 2010. Khan has directed two of the previous three films. Priyanka Bose, who has acted in critically acclaimed films including 'Lion', 'Gulaab Gang', and 'Half Ticket' among others, opened up about the incident that allegedly took place when Khan had called her for an audition. She detailed the incident and shared that soon after when she narrated the incident to her partner, he asked him to quit right away. She has been quoted as saying, “He called me for an audition. The text from his assistant read, “Should be comfortable in a bikini.” When I landed up with the required clothing, no sides were given.” Mandana Karimi alleged that Khan made inappropriate remarks when she visited his office to discuss a role in his 2014 film 'Humshakals'. The actress said that Khan had asked her to remove her clothes, in order for her to get the part. (In Pic: Top left Sajid Khan, top right Saloni Chopra, bottom left Priyanka Bose, bottom right Mandana Karimi)

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Thanking and appreciating Bhatia, the auction house in a statement said: "Sotheby's Managing Director of India, Gaurav Bhatia, resigned on December 20, 2018, after two years with the company, during which time he launched the inaugural Mumbai auction. We appreciate and thank him for his service."

According to complaints posted on Instagram in November 2018, Bhatia touched the victims inappropriately and forcibly tried to kiss them.

Following the complaints, Bhatia went on an indefinite leave from his position ahead of the auction house's inaugural sale in Mumbai.