KR Sreenivas on Saturday, resigned as the resident editor of Times of India Hyderabad, after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment, The News Minute reported.
On October 8, nine women wrote a petition to the newspaper’s management demanding Sreenivas’ immediate termination. The signatories attached proofs of sexual misconduct by the “serial predator”, including screenshots of lewd messages and pictures. The petition also detailed instances where Sreenivas used his power to end careers of women he harassed.
A few hours after filing of petition, Sreenivas was sent on an administrative leave until the completion of an inquiry against him.
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An email sent out to TOI employees had read, “TOI is committed to providing all colleagues with a safe and conducive work environment, free of sexual harassment. In keeping with this commitment, the internal complaints committee of BCCL is looking into concerns that have been brought to our notice about KR Sreenivas. To ensure a fair and impartial inquiry, he has been asked to proceed on administrative leave pending closure of the inquiry. Please be assured that the committee is completely independent in its functioning.”
Reportedly, Sreenivas wrote in his resignation letter that he is stepping down because he is being “targeted”.
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Earlier this week, Prashant Jha stepped down as the chief of bureau and political editor of Hindustan Times and journalist Mayank Jain resigned from Business Standard following sexual harassment accusations. On October 9, former Times Of India and DNA editor Gautam Adhikari also resigned from his post as a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP) in Washington DC after three women accused him of sexual harassment.