Daijiworld Media Network - Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Dec 11: In a disturbing case of online harassment, renowned singer and dubbing artiste Chinmayi Sripada on Wednesday alleged that she was sent a morphed nude image by unidentified miscreants, escalating what she described as weeks of sustained trolling and targeted abuse.
Taking to social media, Chinmayi tagged Hyderabad City Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar and shared both the morphed image and a video message. She stated that threats and abuse had intensified after her husband, filmmaker-actor Rahul Ravindran, recently commented on mangalasutra issues online.
In her video, the singer expressed deep concern over the nature of threats directed at her and her family.
“I have been abused, my children have been given death threats. I filed a police complaint against those who, during a Twitter Space session, said women they dislike should never have children, and if they do, their children must die. People were applauding and laughing,” she said.
Chinmayi further alleged that she has been a frequent target of coordinated trolling ever since she spoke up about harassment by a popular lyricist during the MeToo movement.
“A lot of people have abused me; many of them are paid by political groups. A morphed nude photo of me was circulated today. I’m sharing this so women know these things happen. Such acts are meant to push women out of public spaces,” she added.
Highlighting the escalating misuse of deepfake technology, the singer urged women, girls, and parents to promptly take legal action if they face similar abuse.
“I am not someone who will be shamed by this,” she said, taking a firm stand against the harassment.
For the uninitiated, Chinmayi played a key role during the 2018 MeToo movement, accusing lyricist Vairamuthu of sexual misconduct and amplifying testimonies against musicians OS Thyagarajan, Raghu Dixit, and Karthik. Following her allegations, her Tamil Film Dubbing Union membership was cancelled by president Radha Ravi, citing fee-related issues – a matter currently before the court.
Police are expected to initiate further investigation based on her complaint.