#MeToo : Actress Sonal Vengurlekar accuses photographer of Sexual Harassment

Actress Sonal Vengurlekar accused photographer Raja Bajaj of molesting her when she was 19 years old during an audition.

The actor said that the incident took place when she contacted Raja for an audition opportunity. After the audition, the photographer asked her to assist him on a day-long shoot in Lonavla.

Speaking to Bombay Times, she said, “After some time, he told me to try out a couple of outfits, though I wondered why he asked me to try out those outfits when the shoot was with another model. He had a bottle of cream in his hand and told me to apply it on my breasts before wearing those, as that would help in giving them a proper shape. Much to my horror, he came forward and applied the cream on my breasts forcibly. I got scared and ran away. What made the situation even scarier was that no one from my family was with me.”

Even though the actor, now 25 years old, distanced herself from the shoot, Bajaj continued to harass her. She said, “Later in the evening, when I went back to my room, from where I could see Raja drinking and chatting with the resort manager. He came to my room and said that ‘Aapko main tantrik vidya sikhaunga, jisse aap raaton raat superstar bann jaogi. You have to remove your clothes and sit naked in front of me and repeat the mantra I chant.’ I snubbed him and said that I didn’t want to learn anything. He, then, stepped forward and tried to forcibly remove my clothes. I somehow managed to get out of the room and went straight to the model and her mother, who were in the adjoining room. Sometime later, the resort manager informed us that he had fled the scene without his belongings.”

The actor had also filed a police complaint in 2012 itself and also recorded her statement. However, Bajaj denied Sonal’s allegations and said, “Sonal came to our house on March 7 and even demanded money. She asked for Rs. 3 lakh and came down to Rs. 1.5 lakh. When we refused, as we knew that we were not in the wrong, she mocked us by saying that we had made tall claims, but didn’t have the money to pay her.”