Indian television actress Malvi Malhotra was stabbed multiple times with a knife for allegedly refusing a marriage proposal by a spurned producer on October 26 in Mumbai.
According to PTI, an FIR has been registered under sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman) against Yogeshkumar Mahipal Singh, a self-described producer who had befriended Malhotra on Facebook.
But it’s believed that Malhotra – who is now being treated for her near-fatal wounds in the hospital-- unfriended and blocked him, when he began showing romantic interest in her.
“We have registered an FIR against Singh under various Indian Penal Code sections, including 307 (attempt to murder), and are conducting an investigation into the case,” Versova police station’s senior inspector Raghvendra Thakur told PTI.
It’s not the first time that the accused had relentlessly pursued Malhotra.
Reports emerging from local media claims that the actress was returning home from a café, when the accused accosted her. When she refused to engage with him, he stabbed her three times and fled the scene.
It’s not an isolated incident where women are punished by violence for turning down a man’s proposal.
Movies including Deepika Padukone’s 'Chhapaak' chronicled an acid attack survivor’s journey after a young woman had her face splashed with acid and disfigured permanently for spurning a male who showed romantic interest in her.
Malhotra’s stabbing and hate crime has caught Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut’s attention who tweeted her disgust at the violence against women and extended her support to the survivor.
Earlier, Malhotra had sought Ranaut and National Commission for Women’s (NCW) support on October 27.
“"I would like to request Rekha Sharma ji who is a chairperson of National Commission for Women to look into this matter and support me. I would also like to request Kangana Ranaut ji to support me in this matter because I also belong to Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. The kind of incidence which has happened to me in Mumbai, I didn't expected it in my dreams, so I just want their support in my fight against the injustice,” said Malhotra to local reporters in Mumbai.
Malhotra, whose credits include a role in the TV show ‘Udaan’, sought Ranaut help specifically because she hails from her hometown in Himachal Pradesh and feels a kinship with the actress.
Malhotra was also seen in films including Hotel Milan and South Indian features Unadhan.
