Gurugram: Haryana State Commission for Women has issued a formal summon to Bhojpuri actor-singer Pawan Singh, directing the Commissioner of Police, Faridabad, to ensure his presence, along with that of Haryanvi actress Anjali Raghav who has accused him of molestation, at a hearing on 2 April.
The commission took cognisance of a complaint mailed to it by Anjali, a Faridabad resident, alleging that Pawan touched her inappropriately during a show in Lucknow last August.
Contacted by ThePrint Wednesday, Renu Bhatia, women’s commission chairperson, confirmed having served a notice to Pawan.
The case goes back to August 2025, when Pawan and Anjali shared the stage at a show in Lucknow. A video that subsequently went viral shows Pawan touching and examining Anjali’s waist on stage, in what she has termed as inappropriate and unwanted physical contact.
Anjali later told the media that she felt “frozen” at the time, overwhelmed by the large crowd of Pawan’s supporters, but that she subsequently felt humiliated and angry. She said she tried to reach out to Pawan’s team after the incident, but her efforts were ignored and she was subjected to bullying online.
According to Bhatia, Anjali has alleged in her complaint to the commission that a video of the episode was later deliberately amplified and circulated by Pawan’s team, causing further damage to her reputation, and has demanded stringent action from the commission.
Shaken by the episode, Anjali also publicly announced her decision to exit the Bhojpuri industry, saying she was content with her work and family in Haryana. Her announcement triggered a debate about the safety of female artistes in regional entertainment industries.
Talking to ThePrint Wednesday, Bhatia made it clear that the commission would not look the other way in matters concerning women’s safety and dignity. “No complaint will be ignored,” she said.
Asked about rapper-singer Badshah facing allegations of vulgar rap in his Haryanvi song Tateeree, she said he had appeared before the Panchkula Police Commissioner and offered an apology, but was yet to do so before the women’s commission.
The 2 April hearing involving Pawan and Anjali will record the statements of both, after which the commission will decide on further course of action.
Following the viral video of August 2025, Pawan’s team had initially dismissed the episode as a misunderstanding. He subsequently issued a public apology claiming he had no wrong intentions and was unaware of the gravity of his actions at the time.
A popular face in Haryanvi music and entertainment, Anjali Raghav hails from Faridabad and has appeared in over 50 Haryanvi music videos since her debut with Gire Ye Aansu in 2014.
She broke into the wider public consciousness with the 2020 hit Moto, a collaboration with singer Diler Kharkiya. Over the years she has worked across Haryanvi, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Hindi, and Himachali productions, earning a following of nearly 20 lakh on Instagram.
Pawan Singh is one of the biggest names in Bhojpuri cinema and music, and enjoys a massive fan following across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. He has appeared in numerous chartbusters and dozens of Bhojpuri films.
He contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate from Karakat, Bihar, but came second to Raja Ram Singh Kushwaha of the CPI (ML)L with 2.74 lakh votes.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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