Months after a number of women alleged they were sexually harassed by Arunabh Kumar, The Viral Fever CEO announced that he was stepping down from his position in the production company on Friday.
In a letter he posted on Twitter and Facebook, Arunabh announced his resignation and said that he was handing over the charge to Dhawal Gusain. Dhawal has reportedly been with TVF since 2015 and held the position of the COO.
In his letter, Arunabh said that the last few months had been “most challenging” for him. However, what really “broke” him, he wrote, was the “blemish on the brand’s (TVF’s) true promise”, prompting him to step down as CEO.
He also alluded to TVF’s initial response when an anonymous blogger who claimed to be an ex-employee of TVF, alleged sexual harassment by him. Arunabh said that the response was a “grave mistake” and also apologized for it.
The response earned a lot of flak for being insensitive and harsh. A line from TVF’s statement in March read, “We will leave no stone unturned to find the author of the article and bring them to severe justice for making such false allegations (sic).”
“A lot has happened in the last few months which has mentally and emotionally drained me. However, I have faith and confidence that eventually truth will prevail,” Arunabh said in his letter he posted on social media.
Read the full letter here:
Courtesy Arunabh Kumar/Twitter
Earlier in March, a blogger by the screen name of Indian Fowler had posted a blog on Medium, accusing Arunabh of sexually harassing and molesting her on various occasions. Soon after her revelation, many women began coming forward, especially on social media, with similar allegations against Arunabh.
One woman alleged that Arunabh told her that he would like to see her strip and dance for him. Another woman claimed that Arunabh had touched her inappropriately throughout a shoot they were working in together. Several other women recounted their interactions with Arunabh in comments on these social media posts.
Arunabh was booked for molestation towards the end of March. However, it wasn’t clear on which woman’s complaint the FIR was registered.