Marathi actor-director Mandar Kulkarni arrested for Sexual Harassment

Even after the storm of #MeToo movement swept the country, there are cases of sexual harassment which are surfacing. A 24-year-old Marathi actor-director has been arrested by Pune Police for allegedly sexually harassing a girl during a photoshoot. Mandar Kulkarni, the accused got arrested on August 23.

Kulkarni has acted in some commercial plays and he also conducts theatre workshops. In one such workshop he met the complainant, who was a 17-year-old girl. An official of Deccan police station reported, "Subsequently, Kulkarni called her to his apartment on August 16, saying he wanted to cast her in a play. He gave her some dresses to wear and clicked her pictures."

The girl alleges that he handed her a bikini and asked her to change so that he can click pictures. When the girl was hesitant, he showed her the pictures of other girls who had worn the same attire. 

The girl then wore the bikini and he clicked pictures of her. Later the girl mentioned the incident to her mother and they both filed a complaint in the police station regarding the same. The actor-director was then arrested.

A first information report (FIR) was registered under section 354 (outraging woman's modesty) of the IPC as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and Kulkarni was arrested, the Police official mentioned in his statement. Further probe was on, he added.