Harassment at TVF: more women open up against founder Arunabh Kumar
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If you are on social media, you are probably aware of the sexual harassment allegations that a former employee of digital media startup TVF (The Viral Fever) has put on co-founder Arunabh Kumar in her blog.
The case, which earlier could have been rubbished because of the anonymity of the writer, has now taken a solid turn. More women have now claimed that they too faced similar harassment from Kumar.
The blog was published on Medium, which is an online platform for independent writers, and the writer claimed that she was a former employee at the Mumbai-based startup. In her blog, she details how she was subjected to unwelcome advances during her two-year stint at the TVF office, which she eventually quit.
TVF, on the other hand, has denied all the allegations, calling them “ludicrous and defamatory” and “categorically false, baseless and unverified”.
The blog titled “The Indian Uber- That is TVF”, is similar to one written by former Uber employee Susan Fowler, in which she detailed sexual harassment that she faced at Uber’s office. The writer chose to remain anonymous and used the pen name, Indian Fowler.
Also read: Why I quit Uber: A response to Susan Fowler's story
After the blog went viral, other women who had worked with TVF either as employees or freelancers, claimed to have faced similar situations.
“Many women have been uncomfortable while working with him (Arunabh Kumar), especially during one-on-one interactions,” a former employee told ET on the condition of anonymity.
“The problem is, many women won’t speak out because TVF is a big deal now and trying to mess around and accuse Arunabh of sexual harassment could affect job opportunities in the creative media startup or production house space in Mumbai,” the person said.
The thing about TVF being a big deal is especially true, since Contagious Online Media Networks, which runs TVF and TVF Play, raised $10 million from New York-based investment firm Tiger Global Management in late 2015, and was valued at close to Rs 400 crore.
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The case, which earlier could have been rubbished because of the anonymity of the writer, has now taken a solid turn. More women have now claimed that they too faced similar harassment from Kumar.
The blog was published on Medium, which is an online platform for independent writers, and the writer claimed that she was a former employee at the Mumbai-based startup. In her blog, she details how she was subjected to unwelcome advances during her two-year stint at the TVF office, which she eventually quit.
TVF, on the other hand, has denied all the allegations, calling them “ludicrous and defamatory” and “categorically false, baseless and unverified”.
The blog titled “The Indian Uber- That is TVF”, is similar to one written by former Uber employee Susan Fowler, in which she detailed sexual harassment that she faced at Uber’s office. The writer chose to remain anonymous and used the pen name, Indian Fowler.
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After the blog went viral, other women who had worked with TVF either as employees or freelancers, claimed to have faced similar situations.
“Many women have been uncomfortable while working with him (Arunabh Kumar), especially during one-on-one interactions,” a former employee told ET on the condition of anonymity.
“The problem is, many women won’t speak out because TVF is a big deal now and trying to mess around and accuse Arunabh of sexual harassment could affect job opportunities in the creative media startup or production house space in Mumbai,” the person said.
The thing about TVF being a big deal is especially true, since Contagious Online Media Networks, which runs TVF and TVF Play, raised $10 million from New York-based investment firm Tiger Global Management in late 2015, and was valued at close to Rs 400 crore.
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