A complaint was registered on Friday against Bollywood singer Angarag Papon Mahanta, famously known as Papon, for 'inappropriately kissing a minor girl'.
The incident reportedly took place during the shoot of a Holi celebration on the sets of a Hindi singing reality show where the girl is among the contestants. Supreme Court lawyer, Runa Bhuyan filed a complaint against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Papon has put out a statement on his official Facebook page, and wrote that had he made a mistake, he would not have posted the video on his Facebook live. “Anyone who knows me would be aware that I am an extremely affectionate and expressive person. That is the way I have been brought up and that’s how I have always been with people close to me or people I care about. To show affection for an 11 year old child who I have been mentoring for a while now is not an alien concept for me,” he wrote.
He goes on to write: “... this is not to say I haven't made a mistake. I might have done it spontaneously but in today’s environment, to touch a girl child, however innocent your thoughts are, is not advisable. I am sorry for that.”
In the comments that followed the post, users hit out at Papon for the inappropriate behaviour towards a child. However, there were others who supported Papon. A user by the name Vikas Mukhiya, for instance, said that he is the father of a contestant of the reality show. “ I have never seen such a lovely person,” he wrote.
-with inputs from IANS