Thread by @kirubamunusamy

When I was studying in the Salem law college around 2006-07, I worked under Environmentalist Piyush Manush for about 1½ months. During which, he requested sexual favour––clearly sexual harassment at the workplace. Then I quit and even upon request my salary wasn’t paid.

Later in 2016, he was arbitrarily arrested during a protest and the whole Tamil Nadu was celebrating him as the saviour of our planet. Realizing my social duty to expose the sexual harasser, I wrote a FB post about how commercial his work is and how his behaviour was with me.

As a reaction, his supporters abused me with derogatory remarks based on my colour, birth and beef-eating habit. I was body-shamed. Many debated the taste of the harasser. One went to the extent of stating that I don't even deserve to be raped as I'm too ugly and dark.

Sharing my lived experience of sexual harassment was criticized as publicity drama.

The activist who gave many interviews and wrote denying my allegations after coming out of the jail didn't bother to condemn his supporters nor apologize for the abuses I was subjected to.

Now utilizing Environmentalist Mukilan's arrest on a rape complaint by his colleague, with whom he reportedly was having an extra-marital affair, Piyush has posted a video on his FB alleging that I too made a false sexual harassment allegation and there's a pattern in it.

Without any evidence, he says that two of my friends have been gifted 1.5 acres land by ISHA Jaggi and when he messaged I've not denied it. The way he had cunningly framed me as a government-corporate stooge, shows that he had been waiting for an opportunity to revenge me.

1stly, the complaint against Mugilan is that they were having consensual sex but he cheated & he was arrested based on that. But I wrote my experience bcos he asked sexual favour within 1½ months of my joining and that too after he was arrested and celebrated as Wangari Maathai.

Further, I supported Mugilan from the beginning and when he disappeared, I took part in #WhereIsMugilan campaign and when found, I posted his picture and expressed my happiness. If I'm a stooge to discredit activists, I should have been against Mugilan. So, there's no pattern.

While talking about my post, Piyush so casually states that my post went viral because I was abused for my colour. When he claims to be an activist fighting for the people, how the hell could he be this casual about all the racist slurs against me as if it doesn't matter at all?

Piyush couldn't have apologized then as he went to jail and could have been under depression but simply passing it by after 4 years shows how easily he escapes from the accountability. When not concerned about someone's human dignity, what kind of activist he is?