Cine and TV Artists Cine and TV Artists Association Tues day said it would send Alok Nath a show-cause notice after writer-producer Vinta Nanda accused the ‘most Sanskaari person’, as the actor is known, of raping her more than once 19 years ago. Nanda, best known for the TV show Tara, gave a detailed account of the alleged assaults in a lengthy Facebook post Monday night, the latest expose in the #MeToo movement sweeping India. She did not name Nath but referred to her attacker as “the most Sanskaari (cultured) person”, a sobriquet attached with the actor courtesy his on-screen image of playing the goody-goody father, uncle and grandfather. Nanda alleged that Nath sexually assaulted her on more than one occasion after he was fired from the 1993 show for misbehaving with its lead actor, Navneet Nishan. Actor Richa Chadha was one of many people on Twitter who were quick to put two and two together and name Nath as the person mentioned in Nanda’s post. “#AlokNath,” wrote Chadha in response to the account. CINTAA general secretary Sushant Singh extended his support to Nanda. “Dear @vintananda I am so so sorry. As @CintaaOfficial a show-cause notice will be sent to @aloknath first thing in the morning, why he shouldn’t be expelled. Unfortunately we’ve to follow the due process. I urge you to file a complaint against this vile creature, we extend you full support,” he wrote.Recounting her ordeal, Nanda said Nath’s wife was her best friend. The actor, who played Deepak Seth in the soap opera, was after the leading lady, Nishan, who was not interested in him. “He was an alcoholic, shameless and obnoxious but he was also the television star of that decade, so not only was he forgiven for all his bad behaviour but many of the guys would egg him on to be his worst. My lead female actor was being harassed by him. He would mess with her on the sets and everyone would be silent. When she complained to us, we decided to let him go,” she wrote in the post. (PTI)
