AIB co-founders made to step down from comedy collective amid #MeToo allegations
As the #MeToo movement picks up steam in India, supposedly woke comedy collective AIB is being outed for being a "sexist boys club".
In a statement released today, the organisation revealed that co-founder and CEO Tanmay Bhat will not be associated with them "until further notice" and that another founding member, Gursimran Khamba has been a "temporary leave of absence" until there is more clarity.
"This implies that Tanmay will not be involved with the day to day functioning of AIB or in any other manner," the statement from AIB's human resources head Vidhi Jotwani said. Note that it doesn't say suspended or fired, just that he will not be involved with daily workflow.
Bhat has come under fire for not acting on complaints against Utsav Chakraborty, a YouTuber and ex-AIB member who was called out on social media last week. He tweeted an apology after the allegations came to light:
Khamba on the other hand was accused of forcibly trying to “make out” with a woman, who wished to remain anonymous:
He later posted on Instagram denying claims of sexual harassment:
As two senior partners step away from the organisation, "truthfully, we do not know what this means for the future of AIB or whether there is one", the statement said, adding that the two remaining founders, Ashish Shakya and Rohan Joshi as well as other "senior team members" would try to answer this question over the next few months.
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