#MeToo: Sona Mohapatra disappointed in Sonu Nigam supporting Anu Malik

At the Agenda Aaj Tak 2018 event held in Delhi yesterday (18 December), singer Sonu Nigam defended music composer Anu Malik. He put the burden on proof on Malik’s accusers and said and they had no evidence and stated that Malik’s reputation was at stake.

He said he was speaking with Malik’s permission, but he wanted to say, “You have accused him without any proof; we have accepted that. If he [Anu Malik] wanted, he could have said a lot. But he is not saying anything. If I say that you misbehaved with me, you will ask me for proof. But there's no proof, right? Despite that, people are respecting the accusers, who are tarnishing Anu Malik's name. But how can you ban him? How can you take away his bread and butter? How can you torture his family?”

When the host insisted that several women had accused him with similar stories, Nigam still insisted there was no concrete proof and said it still didn’t justify everyone else being the judiciary of someone else's life.

Singer Sona Mohapatra, who was one of the women who accused Malik of sexual harassment, wondered what kind of proof Nigam required. She stated that both women and men could “attest to Anu Malik’s deplorable abusive behaviour”.

The outspoken singer and activist went on to say, “I always found Sonu Nigam to be brighter than most of his peers, intelligent, so talented, excellent at his craft & yes, kind too. Feel so let down hearing him talk like this & choose the dark side to side up with. I’m hoping he realises how sad this is.”

She wished that the singer would have more empathy for Malik’s victims than Malik himself.