'Anurag Kashyap pushed me to the sofa and forced himself on me'

Anurag Kashyap. File pic

Details of the police statement of a 30-year-old actress, who levelled sexual harassment allegations against director Anurag Kashyap, have revealed that she had three meetings with him back in 2013 and during the third one at his house, he allegedly tried to rape her.

According to the statement, the meetings took place in a span of a few days in August 2013. While the first one was with her manager at Kashyap's office in Aram Nagar, Andheri, the next two were at his house at Yari Road. The actress claimed that for two meetings, the director called her to his house. Both times she met him alone while her driver waited in the car outside.

Second meeting

In the statement she revealed, "During the second meeting I had a discussion with Kashyap for over two hours when he told me about his film career and achievements. I had dinner with him and after the meal he asked me to stay longer but I left saying that the driver would get late." A few days later Kashyap sent her a text message offering her a role and asked her to meet him at his house. He asked her to wear a salwaar kameez so that no one recognises her.

"Around 7:30 pm I reached Kashyap's house in my Honda city car. He was sitting inside and smoking. The house smelled really bad and when I asked him, he said he was smoking marijuana. He also offered me a smoke but I refused. He took me to another room to show me his collection of films. While showing me the cassettes of his old films, he suddenly pushed me to the sofa, opened his pants and forced himself on me. I tried to shout a lot but he pressed my mouth and raped me," she said in the statement.

'Managed to escape'

"As soon as I got a chance, I got out of his place and returned to my house. I immediately did not mention the incident to anyone but after a few days I spoke to my manager and driver. I wanted to file a complaint but a couple of my close friends told me that if I said this to anyone, perhaps I will not be able to work in the film industry, and so it is better to remain silent. The Me Too movement gave me some courage. I shared it with my sister and cousin brother this month and after consulting my kin, we decided to file a complaint," she said in the statement. According to sources, as per her statement, her manager used to operate her social media accounts.

Also Read: Taapsee Pannu: If Anurag Kashyap is found guilty, will be the first to break all ties with him

He had sent Kashyap a Facebook friend request on her behalf in 2013 and had fixed the first meeting with the director. "We have registered a case and booked Anurag Kashyap under relevant sections of the IPC," said an officer from Versova police station.

Keep scrolling to read more news

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news