"Every person is entitled to choice and boundaries," said Kaneez Surka on Twitter
Stand-up comedian and actor Aditi Mittal apologized after she was accused by Kaneez Surka, of forcefully kissing and putting her "tongue in my mouth" while she was hosting a show in 2016. Ms Surka, a popular comic, took to Twitter on Wednesday and posted a long note alleging Ms Mittal, who has been backing women's voices in the #MeToo movement, forcefully kissed her without her consent during a show in Mumbai.
Ms Mittal immediately apologised following Ms Surka's revelation on social media and said that it was a "joke". She posted on Twitter that the intentions were "not sexual in nature" and added that she is "unconditionally sorry".
"I need to tell my story as it happened to me. Two years ago, at a comedy show I was hosting at Andheri Base, in the presence of an audience of 100 and many comedians, Aditi Mittal walked up on stage and forcefully kissed me on my mouth out of the blue and put her tongue in my mouth, while I was still on stage and without my consent," wrote Ms Surka. She said the incident humiliated and shocked her.
"Every person is entitled to choice and boundaries and she violated mine. While I mustered the courage to reach out to her a year ago; she first apologised but soon turned hostile towards me, leaving me confused and hurt," added Ms Surka.
"Seeing her name all over Twitter as a champion of the cause" was completely baffling, said Ms Surka and demanded a public apology. "Out of my belief that the opportunity to reform is the only way forward, once again, I spoke to her through a mutual friend and requested her to come out with a public apology and save me the pain of having to reveal my identity," said Ms Surka.
Moments later, Ms Mittal took to Twitter to say that it was "a peck on the lips (there was no tongue) as a joke as a part of the act".
"As far as turning hostile was concerned-I began to consciously avoid any place that she or anyone from those social circles might be. Out of respect for her space...it was done as a cautionary measure," wrote the comedian. Ms Mittal ended the post with "Kaneez, I am sorry".
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