BENGALURU: Actor Sruthi Hariharan, who has levelled allegations of sexual harassment against actor Arjun Sarja, has filed a police complaint against him at the Cubbon Park Police Station here on Saturday. The police have registered an FIR and have booked Arjun Sarja under Sections 354 (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354 (A) (sexual harassment), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (gesture insulting modesty of woman).
Sruthi’s complaint comes on the heels of failure of talks at the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, the defamation case against her, and alleged threat messages from Sarja’s aide. She claims that she silently suffered as she was an upcoming artiste and Arjun Sarja was a very senior actor.
In her five-page complaint, Sruthi has mentioned incidents starting from November 2015 till July 2016.
Speaking to The New Sunday Express, DCP (Central) D Devaraj said, “Sruthi has given us a complaint explaining what she went through when she was shooting for the film ‘Vismaya’. We have taken note of all that she has said and have booked charges against Arjun Sarja. We have also begun fair investigations without any delay.”
The police have sent notices to Sruthi’s staff Boregowda and Kiran, associate directors Bharat Neelakanta and Monica to appear before them to record their statements. After this, the police will summon Arjun Sarja to the police station for his statement, explained the officer.
Explaining her ordeal, Sruthi, in her complaint, says that the first time she was harassed was in November 2015, around 7.30 am while shooting for the film ‘Vismaya’ in a bungalow near Presidency College in Hebbal. She played the wife of Ranjith Kalidas (played by Sarja). “As per the script,there was a romantic scene wherein we need to hug after a brief dialogue. After the scene was over there was rehearsal as desired by the director. During the rehearsal, Arjun Sarja amorously started cuddling and touching my hips… and further brought it to the thigh. I took exception that he behaved inappropriately.”
Sruthi says that Sarja didn’t stop there and he allegedly continued to hold her tightly and pulled her close to him “moving his hands behind my back asking the director whether ‘we can improvise like this in the scene”.Sruthi says she left the shoot and informed the director about the incident and rushed to the caravan.
However, the complaint says, she was consoled by her staff Boregowda and Kiran. She got back to shooting expecting the scene to be different but Sarja allegedly didn’t stop. In another scene, Sruthi, in her complaint, says, “It was a scene where we were lying on the bed together. He pulled my hand forcing me to come very close to him, hug him. I pushed his hand, finished the scene and came out of the set.” The complaint says she was petrified by the incident and cried uncontrollably and later informed associate directors Bharat Neelakanta and Monica regarding the same and refused to do rehearsals.
Meanwhile, in December 2015, the complaint says that Sarja made advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures by asking her to join him at a private place. “At a hospital in Devanahalli where we were shooting, he came to me and demanded sexual favours by calling me to a private place. In the same month he stopped my car near Devanahalli traffic signal and asked me to come to his resort. When I asked him the reason, he said ‘to have a pleasant time. I have been asking but repeatedly you are denying. Today I have full time and there is no one in my room’ he said. I was emotionally upset and cried,” the complaint states.
Also, on July 18 in 2016, the complaint states that she was waiting alone in a hotel lobby when Sarja came from behind, pressed her back hard and said: “Why are you waiting alone in the lobby, why don’t you accompany me to my room. I am alone too, we could have some fun”.
Alleging that the actor has not only passed sexually coloured remarks, she says that he had threatened to ruin her career if she told about the incidents to anyone. “Be careful. I will ruin your career if you tell anyone. I will pull you to various places and make your life miserable,” is what Sarja told her, according to the complaint.