Mumbai, Oct 23 (Mid_day): After equating the homeless to dogs and calling Ghulam Ali 'dengue artist from terrorist country', Abhijeet accused of touching a woman's derriere at his famed Durga Puja in Lokhandwala

Playback singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya is once again at the centre of controversy, following allegations that he molested a 34-year-old woman at the Lokhandwala Durga Puja pandal, one of the city’s most high-profile Puja celebrations, which he co-founded in 1996.

The incident took place around 10 pm on Wednesday, when the complainant, a Versova resident, and her friend were attending a Kailash Kher concert at the pandal. The pandal is located at the grounds near Lokhandwala Circle, where the idols are situated on one end, and the concert area on another.

She was unable to see the stage clearly while seated, so she stood up to get a better view. That was when Abhijeet allegedly patted her behind at least four to five times, she told the police. She turned around and instantly recognised the singer, and asked him why he had touched her inappropriately.

They began to argue furiously in Bengali. Eyewitnesses said Abhijeet asked her why she was standing and blocking the view of the audience, to which the woman shot back asking how that had given him the right to touch her. At this point, Abhijeet asked a few female volunteers to lead the woman out of the concert area and take her to the pandal’s office.

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She was also accompanied by her friend. At the office, the argument continued, and this time, Abhijeet’s sister allegedly also joined in. The complainant claimed the siblings hurled abuses and threats at her. Eventually, volunteers shunted her off the pandal premises. The woman headed to Oshiwara police station and finished lodging an FIR by 1.15 am.

Senior Police Inspector Subhash Khandvelkar of Oshiwara police station confirmed that an FIR had been registered against the singer and his sister under Sections 354 A (sexual harassment) 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) & 34 (common intention), but no arrests had been made.

Cop speak

“Yesterday was Dussehra, we did not want to disturb the celebrations. We will first take down statements from witnesses and then decide on the course of action,” added Khandvelkar.

“The victim revealed that she was hurt with Abhijeet’s indecent behaviour, which outraged her modesty. She further claimed that he had malicious intentions and he had not touched her accidentally,” said a police officer, adding that the complainant had a valid pass for the concert.

However, sources said that when the cops went to the pandal to inform Abhijeet about the FIR, the 45-year-old told them that the girl was standing and blocking the audience’s view. He told the police that he had only touched her to ask her to take her seat, but she began to abuse him instead.