Sruthi Hariharan has filed a police complaint against her Nibunan co-star Arjun Sarja. Sruthi has accused Arjun of making improper advances towards her during the shoot of Nibunan in 2016.
According to a report in Deccan Chronicle, Sruthi Hariharan has registered a case against Arjun under the sections 354 354A, 506 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code. Deputy Commissioner of Police D Devaraj told DC, “The main content of it is that he misbehaved with her.We will investigate all the aspects mentioned in the complaint.”
Section 354 relates to assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, 506 is for punishment for criminal intimidation while 509 refers to word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.
In a report in Times Now it is said that the actress in her complaint stated, “I took exception to Arjun’s inappropriate behaviour at the rehearsal. I silently suffered and was unable to express as I was an upcoming artiste while he was a senior, with clout in the industry and power corridors.”
Earlier this week, actor Arjun Sarja filed a Rs 5 crore defamation case against the actress at the Bengaluru City Civil Court. The case was filed by Arjun’s nephew Dhruva Sarja on his behalf.
On October 19, in a long Facebook post, Sruthi detailed the harassment she faced by the actor on the sets of Nibunan. She said that she was excited about working with Arjun Sarja as she grew up watching his films. Hariharan then accused the actor of running his hands up and down her back and pulling her towards him without her consent during the rehearsal for a romantic scene.
According to a report in News 18, Arjun Sarja has refutee the accusations. “The allegations being levelled against me are entirely baseless. I am shocked to hear it,” Arjun said.
The Kannada Film Chamber of Commerce decided to mediate in this issue. But their efforts did not produce any results.