An assistant lady choreographer has accused Jani Master of s*xual assault
Know more about Shaik Jani Basha, popularly known as Jani Master, as the Telugu choreographer is grabbing headlines after reports emerged accusing him of s*xually harassing a
young woman.
Not aware of the viral controversy? Fret not, hereโs the information:
Earlier, reports surfaced online indicating that a young woman working as a choreographer in the Telugu film industry has filed a police complaint against a renowned choreographer Jani Master as she accused him of repeatedly s*xually assaulting her.
Who is the assistant lady choreographer who has accused Jani Master of s*xual assault as name remains unknown
For the unfamiliar, Jani recently grabbed headlines after he received the National Award for choreographing Megham Karukatha song for Dhanushโs film Thiruchitrambalam in August 2024.
However, now he faces serious legal charges after a woman accused him of harassment.
The complaint was reportedly filed on Wednesday, September 11, at the Raidurgam police station. As per reports, the complaint was filed in a sealed cover as the victim was a minor at the time of the alleged incidents.
The Raidurgam police of Cyberabad booked a zero First Information Report (FIR) against choreographer Shaik Jani Basha, popularly known as Jani Master who is a Muslim by religion. The FIR was filed on the basis of a complaint by the 21 year old, a young dancer from Madhya Pradesh who currently resides in Narsingi but her name hasn’t been revealed. She has also alleged that he forced her to convert her religion and become a Muslim.
The woman alleged that she had worked with Jani on several projects, and he had been abusing her for the past few months and assaulted her many times during their shoots together in different cities, including Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad. She told the police that Jani even abused her at her own residence in Narsingi in Hyderabad.
In her complaint, the survivor said that she came to Hyderabad in 2017 and following her appearance in the popular dance reality show โDheeโ, she got a call from Janiโs team asking her to join their team as an assistant choreographer. She was 16 years old in 2019 when the assault first happened and she joined as Janiโs assistant in 2019.
The police have booked the choreographer under clause (2) and (n) of section 376 (r*pe), criminal intimidation (506) and voluntarily causing hurt (323) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The Raidurgam police of Cyberabad booked a zero First Information Report (FIR) against choreographer Shaik Jani Basha, popularly known as Jani Master, on allegations of sexually assaulting a woman. pic.twitter.com/oJhgmYi45b
— RSB NEWS 9 (@ShabazBaba) September 16, 2024
Charges against Shaik Jani Basha aka Jani Master
As per media reports, Jani has been charged under sections 376 (2) that is punishment for s*xual assault, 506 that is criminal intimidation, and 323 that is voluntarily causing hurt of the IPC.
Although, media reports claim that the incident took place when the victim was allegedly minor, however, at the time of writing this article, a case under the POCSO act hasnโt filed.
As per a statement given by the additional director general of police (ADGP), for the womenโs safety wing, Shikha Goel, POCSO charges will be considered after legal consultation.
What Did the Victim Say?
In her statement, the victim expressed that she came to Hyderabad in 2017 , and after appearing in a popular dance reality show, โDhee,โ she received an offer from Jani Masterโs team to join them as an assistant choreographer.
Additionally, the organization that is supporting her filing, revealed that the victim was only 16 years old when the first assault took place.
In her official complaint, the woman alleged that Jani has first assaulted her during a shoot in Mumbai, where he threatened her not to say anything to anyone or risk losing her job and being blacklisted in the industry.
#MeToo Storm | #Telugu film industry !#SaveMySister ! Choreographer Jani Master has been sexually assaulting now 21 Years old. He has been assaulting her for the past 5 years in the name of Movie offers. she was 16 Years old when it all started. He is a close associate ofโฆ pic.twitter.com/MmFU4ZIW2F
— Howdy @ Murali Reddy ! ( Jagan เฐเฑเฐเฑเฐเฐฌเฐ) (@Muralipmr) September 16, 2024
As per the counts given by the victim, the abuse continued at various shoots, with Shaik Jani Basha, aka Jani Master repeatedly harassing and assaulting her.
She claimed that on one occasion, he smashed her head against a mirror for resisting him. Moreover she also recounted instances of stalking, coercion to convert religion, property vandalism and marriage.
When she tried to distance herself from Jani Master, he and his wife allegedly came to her house, where Janiโs wife allegedly assaulted her.
About Jani Master
Jani Master, who is popularly recognized as a member of the Jana Sena Party, is known for choreographing hit songs like โButta Bommaโ starring Allu Arjun and Pooja Hegde, and โArabic Kuthuโ featuring Vijay and Pooja Hegde.