National Award-winning choreographer accused of sexual assault; To be booked under POCSO?

Jani Master, a renowned choreographer in Indian cinema, is facing serious sexual assault allegations. Known for choreographing popular songs like ‘Butta Bomma’ featuring Allu Arjun and ‘Arabic Kuthu’ starring Vijay, he recently won the National Award for Best Choreography for the song ‘Megham Karukatha’ from Dhanush’s ‘Thiruchitrambalam’.

However, recent events have shifted attention to a legal case involving him. A complaint was filed against Jani Master at the Raidurgam police station on September 11, accusing him of sexual misconduct towards a junior colleague. The victim stated that she was 16 years old in 2019 when the assault first happened, adding that it repeated “multiple times”.

The authorities are investigating the matter, with charges filed under relevant sections 376 (2) (punishment for sexual assault), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code. The Women’s Safety Wing said that all relevant sections including POCSO would be added after seeking legal opinion.

The allegation has sent shockwaves through the film industry. Jani Master, previously associated with Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party, has been asked by the party to step away following the accusations in an official statement. Additionally, the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) released an official statement on Tuesday addressing the ongoing case.

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