According to the second FIR, the alleged incident took place in 2004 when Murthy allegedly touched the complainant inappropriately inside a coffee shop in Bandra

 

Police have registered a second case of molestation against Mahesh Murthy, a prominent angel investor and co-founder of venture capital firm Seedfund, after a 41-year-old woman’s complaint that he kissed her without consent at a Bandra restaurant a decade ago.

The fresh charge follows his arrest in February over a Delhi-based woman’s accusation that he harassed her with obscene language during calls through WhatsApp. He was granted bail later.

According to an officer at Bandra police station, where the new case was registered, the complainant met Murthy at an advertising event in Mumbai in 2004.

“She was a young intern then and met the accused for the first time. After a few days, they met at a restaurant, where Murthy kissed her on her lips without her consent,” said the officer, who doesn’t want to be named.

He said the “woman didn’t know what to do … She was too young and didn’t meet him thereafter”, but the anger and pain bottled up inside her came out when she saw the first complaint of sexual harassment against Murthy.

“She approached Bandra police station and explained what she went through more than a decade ago at a restaurant.”

In November, the National Commission for Women had written to the Maharashtra director general of police regarding Murthy’s use of “objectionable, derogatory, sexual remarks and obscene signs on social media”.

It had also sent various media reports about other women who had made similar complaints. “Even though Murthy has allegedly already posted an apology for some of his posts, the NCW, in its letter to the Maharashtra DGP, requested for the DGP’s personal involvement,” the commission had said. “Such acts not only amount to outraging the modesty of women but also attract action for cyber crime.”

Police in Mumbai’s Khar had registered a case against Murthy on December 30 based on a complaint filed before the National Commission for Women. He was charged with stalking and “outraging the modesty” of women. He was also charged under the Information Technology Act. He was arrested on February 9, but granted bail soon after.

In April 2017, several complaints of sexual harassment surfaced against the investor, with some dating back to the early 2000s. Murthy had also written a post in an attempt to justify himself.

Indian express and HT