Cops ask bizarre questions to actor Kritika Sharma's #MeToo complaint

Vicky Sidana

Instead of registering an FIR against casting director Vicky Sidana, following actor Kritika Sharma's allegations that he tried to rape her in 2013, the Versova police are asking her a bunch of peculiar questions. Bizarrely, they have asked her to identify an autorickshaw driver who drove her from the crime scene to the airport five years ago, although he had nothing to do with the incident. The cops have also called two of her friends to record their statements.

mid-day had reported on October 21 that the cops allegedly refused to register an FIR, stating that they would have to first check the facts, since the case dates back five years ago. The cops had recorded her detailed statement on October 18, when she had submitted her written complaint. An officer said, "As she could not recollect certain things, we gave her a letter on October 19 asking for more details. She has not yet responded."

The letter, written in Marathi, stated: "Kindly share some more details of the incident, such as exact location, date, time. Also share details of the vehicle in which you left for the airport and share contact numbers of the people concerned who can corroborate your information." Another officer said, "She mentioned an auto, we will see if she can recognise the driver." Vicky Sidana refused to comment on the matter upon the advice of his lawyer.

Complaint against cop
Advocate Aashutosh Srivastava, representing Kritika, said, "We have submitted a complaint against the police station chief, Ravindra Badgujar, to the state home minister and the police commissioner. It was only when the matter went to Mr Badgujar that it became a problem. The constable, Mrs Patil, was ready to register the FIR. This investigation can be done post-FIR also. She [Kritika] remembers the person who committed the crime, and the date when it happened; the rest can be found out in the process of investigation."

Input by Mohar Basu

Kate puts case on hold for her mum's health
Meanwhile, actor Kate Sharma has requested the police to wait for a month to record her statement about filmmaker Subhash Ghai allegedly molesting her, citing her mother's poor health. Sharma was supposed to record her statement yesterday, but Parmeshwar Ganme, senior inspector of DN Nagar police station, confirmed: "She can come any time to record her statement." Sharma told mid-day, "I have decided to take this major step because I am facing serious issues in my family. This case has caused deep stress to my mother's health, and she is facing a serious heart ache issue, and vibrations in the heart. So now, at this critical point, self-respect is not more [important] than my mother's health."

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