Hyderabad. A committee formed by the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce has begun investigating allegations of sexual harassment against choreographer Sheikh Jani, popularly known as Jani Master, by a teenager who worked with him. According to Tammareddy Bharadwaj, a member of the committee, the committee will have to submit a report on the entire matter within 90 days from the date of receiving the complaint from the victim.
Bhardwaj told PTI on Wednesday, “We received a complaint from the victim 15 days ago. We have recorded the statements of both the victim and the accused. We are recording the statements of witnesses. We have to submit the report in 90 days. But we hope that we will submit our report before that.” Cyberabad police have registered a case against Jani Master. The teenager has alleged that the accused sexually assaulted her during ‘outdoor shooting’ and also attacked her at home.
The Raidurgam police registered a ‘zero FIR’ based on her complaint and forwarded it to the Narsingi police station on Sunday night. The police have also registered a case against the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, a senior police official said. The accused is currently absconding. Meanwhile, the incident took a political turn and the Telangana BJP Mahila Morcha issued a statement saying the party considers it a case of “love jihad”.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Morcha president Dr. Shilpa Reddy said, “This is a case of love jihad. Why were ordinary cases registered against the accused when it is clearly mentioned in the FIR that he had trapped a Hindu girl. It is not fair that the accused has not been arrested yet.” The statement said that the party demands the state government to conduct a transparent investigation without succumbing to any kind of pressure. Jani Master is a member of the Janasena Party. The Pawan Kalyan-led Janasena Party had said in a statement that Jani Master has been asked to stay away from party programs. Janasena has taken this decision in view of the police case registered against him.