Actress and model Anjali Raghav, known for her work in the Haryanvi music industry, recently took to Instagram to announce that she will no longer work in the Bhojpuri entertainment industry.
She announced her decision following an incident involving Bhojpuri star singer Pawan Singh.
During a promotional event for their song 'Saiya Seva Kare', a video that has gone viral showed Pawan Singh touching Anjali inappropriately multiple times on stage.
After the video went viral, several people criticised Pawan Singh and asked Anjali Raghav why she did not react immediately and slap him on stage.
Finally, she broke her silence on the matter and announced her decision to no longer work in the Bhojpuri industry.
In an Instagram video, she said she has been disturbed for the past few days as people have been constantly asking her why she did not say anything or react when she was being touched inappropriately.
She said some people were even blaming her, saying she was laughing and enjoying it.
Do you think I would feel happy or enjoy being touched in public like that, she asked.
She clarified that when she received a call from Pawan Singh about the song, she demanded to know if there was any indecent clothes or double-meaning lyrics involved. She said she was never uncomfortable during the shoot.
She said during the event, Pawan Singh told her that something was stuck on her waist, but she ignored him.
"Later, when I asked my team member if anything was stuck, they told me there was nothing. That is when I felt really bad—I was upset, and even felt like crying. But I didn’t know what to do, because everyone there was his fan."
She said she tried to reach out to Pawan Singh's team when the video went viral and she was being trolled. She said she was advised not to respond to trolls, as his PR team is very strong and it might backfire on her.
"I absolutely do not support touching any girl without her permission. To begin with, it is very wrong. And to touch someone in this manner is extremely wrong....I will no longer work in the Bhojpuri industry."