Former Miss India Niharika Singh shares her #MeToo story

New Delhi, November 9

Former Miss India and actor Niharika Singh shared her #MeToo story on Friday in which she accused the husband of a female flight attendant, who allegedly committed suicide in July, of being a “sociopath” and “physically violent” when they were briefly engaged in 2011.

Anissia Batra, who worked with a German airline, had allegedly jumped from the terrace of her house in July. Her husband Mayank Singhvi was arrested on the charge of dowry death, and her in-laws were also arrested earlier this month.

Singh said Batra had contacted her and they had formed “a kind of sisterhood”.

PTI had reported in September that a former Miss India had approached Delhi Police and recorded her statement in the Anissia Batra case. In her statement, she had told the police that she called off her engagement after Singhvi threatened her and chased her with a knife.

Singh’s #MeToo story was shared by journalist Sandhya Menon on Twitter.

In the post, Singh said she had met Singhvi at a friend’s birthday party.

“He was an investment banker and had nothing to do with film, which to me, was like a breath of fresh air. Within two months of meeting me, Mayank tattooed my name on his chest and told me that he was in love with me.

“I didn’t feel the same way about him but he managed to get into my social circle and develop a bond with my family and friends who insisted ‘I settle down’. In 2011, on my 29^th birthday, he gave me a ring and asked me to marry him,” Singh said.

She said, she found out later, that Singhvi “was a sociopath, and I broke off my engagement at the end of 2011”.

“His ego was completely bruised and his anger was uncontrollable. Using casteist slurs, he got abusive and physically violent. I went to a friend’s house to protect myself and left Mumbai soon after with a broken spirit,” she said.

She also wrote about Singhvi creating a “false narrative” about her which hurt her more than the abuse.

“Mayank created a false narrative about me after I left that many of my friends chose to believe, which hurt even more than the abuse. I moved to Dehradun where my father lived, did vipassana and spent time on my own to heal,” she said.

Without mentioning Batra’s name, Singh said Singhvi’s wife had contacted her days before she allegedly committed suicide.

“In June this year, I received a call from a woman who introduced herself as Mayank Singhvi’s wife; the same man I was briefly engaged to, in 2011. She wanted to know my reasons for calling off the engagement.

“I told her my story. She confided in me that she’s been abused right from the first week of their marriage and was trying to get out. We stayed in touch forming a kind of sisterhood. A few days later she was found dead in her marital home under mysterious circumstances. Mayank Singhvi was taken into judicial custody,” Singh said.

The #MeToo movement started after actor Tanushree Dutta alleged that Nana Patekar sexually harassed her on the sets of a movie in 2008. Since then, many women have come out in public to share their experiences of harassment.

Patekar’s lawyer has sent a legal notice to Dutta for allegedly making false accusations. PTI