Man arrested for molesting Zaira Wasim calls incident unintentional, wife defends him

Mumbai: ‘Dangal’ actress Zaira Wasim’s Instagram video about her experience of being molested on a Delhi-Mumbai flight went viral on Sunday.

A businessman, identified as Vikas Sachdev, was arrested later on and booked under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).

Sachdev, however, told the police that the incident was unintentional, according to a report in mid-day.

He told police that he had gone to Delhi for a funeral and was tired in the process.

A friend of Vikas, Kuldeep Bhargava, also defended him. He told the tabloid, "Vikas was upset and tired because of the death. He'd told the airhostess not to disturb him or even serve him the meal; he'd just asked for a blanket to sleep. When the flight was about to land, the actress shouted at him and said 'this is not your lounge; put your leg down'. He apologised to her, and said it had happened inadvertently. He is innocent and doesn't have any past record either; the police can check."

Vikas's wife Divya also defended him and called Zaira’s allegations ‘false’ and demanded justice for him.

She said, “The actress is making false allegations against my husband. Ours is a love marriage; we have been together for the last 16 years. My husband is innocent.

"His uncle died in Delhi, because of which he was in a state of shock and reached home late. The next morning we woke up to this actress shouting about molestation onboard. My husband told me that he had been sleeping when his leg accidentally touched her hand; he apologised to her for that. My husband respects women.

"We always travel in business class but nothing like this has ever happened. Because of this incident, my entire family is disturbed. We want justice."

On Sunday, the actress in an Instagram live video broke down while sharing her harrowing experience on the flight.

She claimed that the man kept nudging his shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down her back and neck.

She said considering the dimmed lights, she couldn’t record a video and only managed to capture a picture of his legs placed on her armrest.

The actress was reportedly in tears when she landed at the airport and a woman police officer was sent to her hotel room to record her statement, following which Sachdev was arrested.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and former CM Omar Abdullah were among those who demanded action against the accused.