Music maestros Gundecha brothers accused of sexual harassment

Dhrupad maestros Gundecha brothers have been accused of sexual harassment and assault by female students of their school Dhrupad Sansthan in Madhya Pradesh as per a BBC investigationBBC said Monicas name has been changed to protect her identity because she fears reprisal But she is keen to share her story She alleges that she was raped by the late Ramakant Gundecha a famous classical Indian musician while she was a student at his school Dhrupad Sansthan in the central Indian state of Madhya PradeshGundecha died in November 2019 but he and his brothers Umakant and Akhilesh have since been accused of sexual harassment and assault by female students of the music schoolOver the course of a threemonth investigation the BBC has heard multiple allegations against all three Gundecha brothers Umakant and Akhilesh deny the allegations the report saidRamakant was and Umakant still is a famous exponent of Dhrupad one of the oldest genres of Hindustani music while Akhilesh is a percussionist In 2012 Ramakant and Umakant received the Padma Shri Indias fourthhighest civilian award for their contribution to musicThe report said Dhrupad Sansthan the prestigious school they founded and taught at has attracted hundreds of students foreign and Indian from across the globe It claims to have accreditation from UNESCOs Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee But the UNESCO told the BBC that it had no links to the school and said it will be sending a cease and desist notice demanding the withdrawal of such claimsBBC said the allegations against the brothers have sent shockwaves through the classical music world where they enjoy fame and status The allegations have also shone a spotlight on an ancient tradition the gurushishya parampara an informal contract by which the student is usually expected to completely surrender to the will of the teacherAllegations against the three brothers range from sharing flirtatious and sexually suggestive messages to exposing themselves during class to molestation and in the case of Ramakant even rape the report saidAs per the report Monica said she was in her first week at the school when she began receiving inappropriate WhatsApp messages from Ramakant She alleged that one evening he drove her to a dark car park and molested her in the backseat of his carHe started kissing me I pushed him away but he kept trying she said He touched my body and tried to unclothe me At that time I realised I was not moving I was like a stone At one point he realised that I was not responding So he asked me should I drop you back at the school But I couldnt even replyThe report mentioned that Monica said she wanted to erase the memory of the incident She didnt leave the school immediately because she loved the music and was keen to pursue it further She had left her job and invested all her money to study at the schoolBut then three months later she alleged Ramakant raped her He entered the room pulled my pants off and forcefully had sex with me And when he had finished he just left I went to the door and bolted it And for three days I didnt eat she saidThe report said Sarah another student at the school whose name has also been changed told the BBC that she was molested by Akhilesh GundechaI got sick when I was there and was hospitalised she said Akhilesh came to take me back to the school He sat next to me in the car and started touching my hands I pulled them away It felt very strangeIn total five women told the BBC they had witnessed abuse and harassment on the Dhrupad Sansthan campus Some said that when they rebuffed sexual advances from Ramakant he lost interest in teaching them They also alleged that if a student complained she was often publicly humiliated in classBBC said Rachel who didnt want to remain anonymous said she had found the strength to speak up now several years later only after similar allegations came to light in a Facebook post shared by a group called Dhrupad Family Europe in September 2020As per the report through their lawyers both Akhilesh and Umakant Gundecha denied all of these allegations stating that vested interests from outside the student community were trying to further their agenda of causing damage to the art and reputation of the Gundecha Brothers and Dhrupad SansthanBut the charges are also being investigated by an internal complaints committee over the last four monthsBBC said students say the committee at Dhrupad Sansthan was formed only after they put pressure on the school Former students who are part of a support group for the survivors have also alleged that they have received threats on multiple occasions for speaking out in support Survivors are bound by law not to disclose the results of the investigationThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or 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