(Image source from: The Wire)

The founding editor of DNA Mumbai and former executive editor of the Times of Editor, Gautam Adhikari has stepped down as a senior fellow of the Center for American Progress (CAP) in Washington, D.C. after he was accused in multiple sexual misconduct allegations.

Adhikari was accused of kissing at least three women without their acceptance. He was the editor-in-chief of DNA Mumbai, which he co-founded in 2005 and in another, he was serving as the executive editor of the Times of India. One journalist described an incident from 2006 with Adhikari in the DNA office when she was just 22 years old.

Adhikari, who is the author of 'The Intolerant Indian: Why We Must Rediscover a Liberal Space', joined the center's national security and international policy team as a fellow in 2014.

"Mr. Adhikari is not a senior fellow with CAP," Daniella Leger, senior vice president for communications and strategy, told TNM on Monday night. Leger declined to say when Adhikari had left the organization. The center has removed his bio page from the website, Leger said. A tweet from Sonora Jha, a professor of journalism at Seattle University, confirmed Adhikari's resignation.  

When asked about his resignation from the Center for American Progress in light of the allegations, Adhikari responded in an email, "I left my honorary nonresident position at the Center for American Progress. I am retired and am not associated with any institution."

As part of the powerful #MeToo movement, the Indian media came out with numerous allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against men.

Comedy corporate All India Bakchod stated on Monday that co-founder Tanmay Bhat would quit from his position with immediate effect and Gursimran Khamba would take a short-term leave of absence ensuing allegations of misconduct on both their parts.

The Chief of Bureau and Political editor of national daily Hindustan Times, Prashant Jha, resigned after an ex-employee accused him of harassment.

KR Sreenivas, the Times of India Resident Editor has been accused of sexual harassment by seven women. A petition was directed to TOI asking the newspaper to terminate his employment, and he has been sent on administrative leave as an internal committee investigated the allegations.

-Sowmya Sangam