National Award-winning choreographer Jani Master was arrested from a hotel in Goa on September 19 for allegedly raping his assistant. According to the police, Jani was staying at the hotel to avoid/delay arrest. He had also switched off his phone.
Jani Master was produced before a local court in Goa and was taken to Hyderabad on a transit warrant. He will be produced before a court in Hyderabad today (September 20). Reportedly, Jani’s wife will also be investigated as the complainant has accused her of abusing and harassing her.
The police had on September 15 registered a case of rape, criminal intimidation and assault against Jani. Later, after recording the victim’s statement, sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were added to the FIR as the woman had started working with Master when she was still a minor. She claimed to have been first harassed in 2019 when she was 16.
Jani Master’s wife, who is herself a choreographer, said that there was no truth in the allegations and claimed that there was a “larger conspiracy behind the complaint”. The wife added, “The allegation that the woman was harassed when she was 16 is disgusting. There is no truth in it. If the girl can show evidence, I will leave Master.” According to her, her husband was being targeted with ulterior political motives to ruin his career.