Model-actor Poonam Pandey and her husband Sam Bombay were arrested by the Goa Police on Thursday evening for allegedly trespassing government property and shooting an “obscene video” on October 31.
Superintendent of Police (South) Pankaj Kumar Singh told reporters on Thursday that Pandey was arrested for “trespassing into government land” at the Chapoli Dam area in Canacona town.
As per a Hindusthan Times report, Pandey and her husband were granted bail on a bail bond of Rs 20,000 each on Thursday night.
Two separate complaints were registered against Pandey and her husband. While the State Water Resources Department filed a complaint on Tuesday for trespassing, shooting, and circulating the video, the women’s wing of the Goa Forward Party filed a another complaint on Wednesday for shooting an “indecent video,” a Scroll report said.
Moreover, the residents of Canacona town, where the video was being filmed, also demanded action against the two policemen who provided security to Pandey and her crew. Two inspectors have been suspended until further inquiry.
Coincidently, actor Milind Soman posted a photo of himself running nude on a beach on Wednesday, to mark his 55th birthday. The picture soon went viral and Soman was showered with praises.
The incident sparked a gender debate on Twitter where users called out the hypocrisy of the two separate incidents- while Pandey was arrested for shooting an “obscene” video, Soman’s nude picture was well-received.
“#PoonamPandey & #MilindSoman both stripped down to their birthday suits in #Goa recently. Pandey partly, Soman completely. Pandey is in legal trouble–for obscenity. Soman is being lauded for his fit body at age 55. I guess we are kinder to our nude men than to our nude women,” wrote filmmaker Apurva Asrani on social media.
This! https://t.co/LvRDSQU8rO
— Natasha 🌈 نتاشا (@nuts2406) November 5, 2020
This is not the first time a lady actor has been harassed over nudity charges. In September, Kannada actor Samyuktha Hegde was heckled and cornered by Congress worker Kavitha Reddy for working out in a public park in sports wear. According to Hegde, she and her friends were working out in the Agara Lake park near the HSR Layout police station in Bengaluru when the party worker attacked them.
The future of our country reflects on what we do today. We were abused and ridiculed by Kavitha Reddy at Agara Lake@BlrCityPolice @CPBlr
There are witnesses and more video evidence
I request you to look into this#thisisWRONG
Our side of the storyhttps://t.co/xZik1HDYSs pic.twitter.com/MZ8F6CKqjw— Samyuktha Hegde (@SamyukthaHegde) September 4, 2020
The mob intimidated the women by locking gates of the park despite the presence of police.
Although Reddy later apologised for her behaviour, the actor said, “The future of our country depends on what we do today.”
