More than a year after popular stand-up comedian Utsav Chakraborty faced disgrace after a woman accused him of sending his unsolicited nude pictures, the comic seems to have decided to tell his side of the story.
In a series of tweets, Chakraborty recounted what transpired between him and the woman. He began by saying that he "would like to put out a public service announcement to anyone who approached Mahima Kukreja with false or malicious information about me. If you did this, please apologize or at least explain yourself publicly as to why you did what you did."
And before I begin, I would like to put out a public service announcement to anyone who approached Mahima Kukreja with false or malicious information about me. If you did this, please apologize or at least explain yourself publicly as to why you did what you did.
— Utsav Chakraborty (@Wootsaw) November 21, 2019
Mahima Kukreja, who is a 'writer' and 'performer' according to her Twitter handle' had made the allegations against Utsav through social media.
He posted a screenshot of the chats that landed him in trouble saying how they showed him to be a creep. "So convincing that when I first saw it, I believed it myself. Not gonna lie."
Okay, I'll start.
— Utsav Chakraborty (@Wootsaw) November 21, 2019
You guys remember this screenshot? It was posted by this guy called @sanilgosavi, got a tonne of retweets and basically showed how deplorable and unrelenting a creep I was. So convincing that when I first saw it, I believed it myself. Not gonna lie. pic.twitter.com/jk8hynAkZK
He admitted that the words on the screenshot were written by him and added that "Except it's a long string of unreplied words with someone saying that they're uncomfortable at the end."
This was a tricky one to dismiss because it was definitely my writing. Definitely the words I use to sext. Except it's a long string of unreplied words with someone saying that they're uncomfortable at the end. A lot of (remaining) close friends distanced from me when they saw it
— Utsav Chakraborty (@Wootsaw) November 21, 2019
He further said when he looked further, he realized that one side of the conversations were missing.
But when I looked into it further it was clear as day. One half of the conversation was missing. What sorcery was this??!
— Utsav Chakraborty (@Wootsaw) November 21, 2019
Turns out Instagram DMs have a fun feature where you can delete your side of the convo making the other person look like a complete psycho creep. pic.twitter.com/Gr6J2pIq3Z
The stand-up comic said the girl's reply that she 'won't be comfortable' was not a reply to his "seemingly relentless barge of words" but a reply to him asking her to talk in a video he was asking her to send.
Her saying 'won't be comfortable' was a reply to me asking her to talk in the video I was asking her to send. It was NOT a comment on my seemingly relentless barge of words.
— Utsav Chakraborty (@Wootsaw) November 21, 2019
I tried to look for her and this conversation on Instagram. But couldn't find it. I had been blocked.
He said after the allegations against him, a lot of people blocked him on social media.
Chakraborty said he tracked the woman online and confronted her. He also shared a screenshot of the conversations he had with her.
So I did some snooping around my saved screenshots and realized that this person's handle was 'Chanzpapi' on Instagram and also that the contents of the screenshot preceded an explicit photo from her. Following which I tracked her on Facebook and confronted her. pic.twitter.com/szOokYBRSK
— Utsav Chakraborty (@Wootsaw) November 21, 2019
"So what I gathered was that @chanya_jaitly shared a doctored picture of our conversation during #metoo with her ex-boyfriend who shared the screenshot without her consent when my name was trending last year thanks to @AGirlOfHerWords' valiant efforts," he tweeted.
He said although he can't debate the “authenticity of her explanation but I'll let her have the benefit of the doubt” and made an appeal to his followers not to harass the woman.
He said this was the first of many.
This was the first of many. There are several more coming. AND DO NOT BE AWFUL TO THE PEOPLE I NAME. DO NOT DO TO THEM WHAT YOU DID TO ME. Okay thanks.
— Utsav Chakraborty (@Wootsaw) November 21, 2019
Further, the comic shared an apology that was put up and added that, "She did not intend any harm. It's possible that she was caught in the vitriol of the movement but so were most of you."
This is the screenshot of the apology that @chanya_jaitly put up. She had to protect her tweets. Guys, PLEASE let her be. She did not intend any harm. It's possible that she was caught in the vitriol of the movement but so were most of you. So lay off. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/6XUvDhqQRg
— Utsav Chakraborty (@Wootsaw) November 21, 2019
He also shared a conversation that he had with the woman who accused him of asking her for nude pictures to prove that they were in fact on "pretty amicable terms".
As evidenced by these screenshots of our last conversation on Snapchat dated 30th May 2017, we were on pretty amicable terms and despite her claims to the contrary had not been 'blocked' by Kanika Kaul here. The cute conversation ends with the then Ms. Kaul giving me her number. pic.twitter.com/RDROEP8VQA
— Utsav Chakraborty (@Wootsaw) November 21, 2019
He posted another conversation he had with the girl.
And what unpardonable thing did I do with @kanikakaul22's WhatsApp number? This.
— Utsav Chakraborty (@Wootsaw) November 21, 2019
The last message is after the events of October 2018. pic.twitter.com/pxeLuxpUJV
Further, the stand-up comic made an appeal to the girl to come out and share her side of the story.
After she came out with an explanation in which she said she had forgotten that she had shared her number with him, he claimed that an "exclusive in-group of ex-Buzzfeed writers, expats and artists. People with 'online-cred' basically. For the past year or so, this privileged cabal of cool has been regurgitating Mahima and Kanika's baseless words in private and public circles."
In another tweet, he denied sending unsolicited “unsolicited dick pics to anyone ever.”
Quick announcement before I call out the next person.
— Utsav Chakraborty (@Wootsaw) November 22, 2019
I categorically deny sending unsolicited dick pics to anyone ever. Solicited dick pics, however, yes.
Okay, moving on.