Suparn Pandey sexual harassment row: ScoopWhoop promises 'action if found guilty'

For long, the seemingly youth-centric media company Scoopwhoop has been perceived as progressive, especially when it comes to gender equality. However in a recent report by Catch News, it has come to light that Scoopwhoop co-founder Suparn Pandey has been accused of workplace sexual harassment.

The victim, whose identity has been kept anonymous, has alleged that for Pandey continually harassed her during the two years that she worked for ScoopWhoop Media Pvt. Ltd. Between 2015 and 2017, Pandey allegedly abused her on several accounts. According to the report, the victim has now filed a FIR against Suparn at the Vasant Kunj (South) Police Station in Delhi.

In her complaint, the victim has also roped in two other co-founders, Sriparna Tikekar and Sattvik Mishra for being aware of the ongoing harassment but not taking any concrete steps to put an end to it. According to the FIR, which invokes section 354 A (sexual harassment), section 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman), and section 506 (criminal intimidation), the complainant asked Tikekar for help ( Tikekar has also co-founded Vagabomb), however she did not take any action.

The victim has alleged that the harassment began with “inappropriate comments” about her sexual orientation which slowly, became physical. At first, the complainant raised the issue with Tikekar who had promised her resolution but failed to pull through. The complaint also says that Tikekar and Mishra threatened and humiliated her as opposed to upholding her modesty.

Consequently, the inaction from his co-workers led to further harassment by Pandey who, at one instance, allegedly sent the victim a lewd video on the official email and kissed her on the forehead in an inebriated state. When she attempted to lodge a complaint, she was intimated by the co-founders after which, she decided to resign from ScoopWhoop.

Earlier, The Viral Fever (TVF) CEO Arunabh Kumar had been booked for sexual harassment.  Several women had accused Kumar of molestation after the emergence of one viral blog claiming the same.

UPDATE: ScoopWhoop has released an official statement where it has promised to take “necessary action” if the accusations are proven to be true. Here is the full statement:

“ScoopWhoop strongly condemns any kind of harassment at the workplace. We work towards ensuring a safe and secure workplace for all our employees and take any complaints of harassment extremely seriously. In line with workplace laws, ScoopWhoop has an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC). The ICC constitutes of two of our most senior and experienced women employees and an independent observer who has served on ICC panels across various prestigious and international companies. 40 percent of our workforce is women and we have equal representation in senior leadership positions. We have taken every step to ensure the complainant gets a fair hearing and are following the rule book on workplace harassment. The complaint was forwarded to the ICC immediately on receipt and the same is being inquired as per law. The company is adhering to the rules and regulations set forth by the Hon. Supreme Court of India and the law of the land against sexual harassment at workplace and the investigation is ongoing. As an FIR has also been filed separately by the complainant, and the police investigation is ongoing, we are extending full cooperation to the police to conduct a full and fair investigation into the matter. We are fully prepared to accept the findings of the investigations and dutifully take the necessary action if found guilty.”