Former CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani opened up about his take on the case against singer Angarag Papon Mahanta for allegedly kissing a minor girl.
“Since the video is edited and we are not fully aware of what happened before or after the scene, I will refrain from making any unnecessary comments. However, I feel it is the organisers’ responsibility to ensure their participants’ safety in such cases,” Nihlani told reporters in Mumbai.
“I feel such celebrities, who can make children feel uncomfortable or anxious in any manner, should not be invited to such shows at all”, Nihalani added.
Also read: Papon’s kiss row: My son will come out clean, says Archana Mahanta
He further said, “In this specific incidence, parents must be aware of what happened and the kid in question is also accomplished to comment if the intentions were pure or not.”
The former CBFC chief added that proper inquiry should be done and looked from all the perspectives – including of the people present at the scene.
Supreme Court lawyer Runa Bhuyan on Friday filed a complaint against Angarag Papon Mahanta, under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for allegedly “inappropriately kissing a minor girl”.
The incident took place during the shoot of a Holi celebration on the sets of a Hindi singing reality show where the girl is among the contestants.
Following the controversy, Papon who is seen as one of the mentors on the show has quit the show and claimed that he has been “falsely implicated”.
Several Bollywood celebrities have slammed Papon for this act while some of his friends from the industry also defended the singer.