Choreographer Shaik Jani Basha, popularly known as Jani Master, was arrested in September under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act following allegations of sexual assault made by his 21-year-old female assistant. The accusations claim that he had been sexually assaulting her over the years. In a surprising development, Jani Master’s nephew, Shameer, has now reportedly filed a case against the woman, accusing her of sexually assaulting him.
According to a report by M9 News, Shameer, in his complaint, claimed that the 21-year-old woman sexually harassed him while he accompanied Jani Master to shoots in Hyderabad and Mumbai. He stated that she “sexually assaulted him in restrooms, lifts and hotels” and further requested the police to file a POCSO case against her as he is a minor. Shameer’s complaint has been registered, and police investigations are currently underway.
For those who don’t know, in September, the 21-year-old woman lodged a complaint against the choreographer with the Narsingi, Hyderabad Police. In her complaint, she mentioned that she was sexually harassed by Jani Master multiple times during outdoor shoots. In 2020, the choreographer sexually assaulted her during a work trip to Mumbai and threatened her not to disclose it to anyone. The police registered the complaint under sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The female colleague of Jani Master also revealed that she was a minor at the time of the alleged offence. Hence, the choreographer was charged under the POCSO Act. He was arrested in Goa and later remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.
Meanwhile, a senior cop was quoted by The Hindu saying, “The complainant said that Jani had sexually assaulted her multiple times during their shoots in different cities, including Chennai, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. She also claimed that he assaulted her at her residence in Narsingi several times… since the woman is a resident of Narsingi, the case has been transferred to the police there, and further investigation will be taken up.”
In other news, Jani Master, who choreographed Stree 2’s dance number Aayi Nai, was granted conditional bail to attend the 70th National Film Awards, which took place on October 8. However, the National Film Awards Cell of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued a public statement informing that the choreographer’s National Award for his work on the song Megham Karukkatha from 2022’s Tamil film Thiruchitrambalam was suspended. In the note, the National Film Awards Cell mentioned that they extended the invitation before the sexual allegations came to light. Following the announcement, Narsingi police of Cyberabad filed a petition to cancel Jani Master’s interim bail.
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