The #MeToo movement has thrown down the gauntlet to the very top of the media industry as well as the central government, as several new allegations of sexual harassment surfaced against M J Akbar, a renowned former editor and now Minister of State for External Affairs. At least six women journalists and writers have spoken out against Akbar, alleging that he would call them to his hotel room at night for interviews, or sometimes turn up at their homes uninvited. Meanwhile, Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs, has dodged all requests for comments on whether any inquiry or action will be initiated against the central minister.

Hotel room predator
Among other publications, Akbar was the founding editor of the Asian Age, and it was during his tenure there that these alleged incidents took place. The floodgates opened after a senior journalist revealed that Akbar was the subject of 'To the Harvey Weinsteins of the world', an article she had written last year, when the #MeToo movement had found momentum in the US. In the article, she narrated how he had called her for a job interview in his hotel room, where both bed and drinks were ready — a pattern that repeated in other women's accounts as well.