New Delhi: Popular
Pakhawaj player and Pandit Ravi Shankar Upadhyay of Delhi's Kathak
Center has been arrested on charges of molestation.
According to the
report of Indian Express, a 23-year-old student of Delhi's Kathana
Sansthan lodged a complaint of molestation against Pandit Ravi Shankar
Upadhyay at Chanakyapuri police station, after which he was arrested.
Please
tell that this Kathak center is affiliated to Sangeet Natak Academy.
The victim students have been learning Kathak from this institution for
the last 11 years. She is learning Kathak under the patronage of Pandit
Jai Kishan Maharaj, elder son of Pandit Birju Maharaj.
The dance
students of the institute have to earn some marks in the examination by
learning a certain instrument. The student started learning pakhawaj
from Upadhyaya about two years ago.
Accusing Upadhyay of touching her
incorrectly, the student said, "I used to touch his feet as per custom
but I stopped touching his feet and bowed to the ground."
The student says that Pandit Upadhyay usually sent them obscene messages, to which I never replied. The victim student says that the incident of December 14 forced her to lodge an FIR with the police. He
said, I went to the practice institute for the exam to be held on
December 16. I knew that he (Upadhyay) must have left the institute at
two o'clock in the afternoon, so I thought I would practice in peace. '
The
student said that she was practicing with another student of her batch,
when Upadhyay told her partner to go to her by telling her to practice
too much while we had only practiced for 10 minutes.
The student
said, "After that Upadhyay took my picture, which I asked them to
delete. After that they caught me and started behaving in a wrong way. '
The
student said that I pushed them and started crying in the washroom.
After the statement of the student, the police registered a case under
sections 354 and 509 of the IPC.
New Delhi's DCP Ish Singhal said,
"Upadhyay had allegedly put his hand on the waist of the student and
kissed her forehead." He also tried to kiss the student's face.
Statements of other students have also been recorded. The matter is
under investigation.' The same evening the student called Suman
Kumar, the director of the institute, but could not talk to him, so he
was asked to make a written complaint. After this, the student
emailed Kumar and lodged an FIR the same day. Upadhyay was arrested from
the institute on the morning of 15 December. Suman Kumar said, 'I
had not taken any action till the police came in plain clothes and
arrested them. I have already suspended them. We are fully cooperating
with the police. '
Pandit Rajendra Gangnani, senior Kathak exponent
who teaches at the institute, said, "Because of Corona, very few classes
were taking place and most of the classes were taking place online. The
student used to come to the institute because there was no pakhavaj at
her house. '
Please tell that Upadhyaya is the son of Ustad Pandit
Ramji Upadhyay, the pakhavaj of Gaya Gharana and his family has 400
years old heritage.
His wife and all three children are musicians. He has worked with many distinguished artists on stage.
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{With input from news agency language)
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