Rape case registered against Bollywood actor

India police have registered a case against veteran Bollywood actor Alok Nath after writer Vinta Nanda accused him of raping her.

In October, Nanda took to Facebook to pen a detailed post where she accused the actor of sexual harassment and rape. Nanda and Nath worked together on a 1990s television series called Tara and according to her, Nath has harassed the lead actress on the show as well.

Nath has denied the allegation and also filed a defamation case against her. After the allegations, Nath told journalists that he did not "agree" with the claims. "It [rape] must have happened, but someone else would have done it," he said.

Nanda said she had waited for almost two decades to speak out and asked others "who have suffered at the hands of predators to come out and say it aloud".

The #MeToo movement in India gained momentum in September after actress Tanushree Dutta accused veteran actor Nana Patekar of harassing her on a film set.

On his part, Patekar has denied the allegations.

Since September, several celebrities, including Bollywood actors and directors have faced accusations of improper behaviour.

Filmmaker Sajid Khan, who was busy helming Housefull 4, the next instalment of the highly successful Hindi film franchise Housefull, recently stepped down as the director of the film after three women accused him of sexual misconduct.

In his statement, the director said, “In the wake of the allegations against me and the pressure being put on my family, my producer and the stars of the film Housefull 4, I must take the moral responsibility of stepping down from my directorial post, till the time I can allay the allegations and prove the truth. I request my friends in the media to kindly not pass judgment till the truth is out.”

MJ Akbar, India's junior foreign minister, last month resigned from his post after numerous women accused him of sexual harassment and assault.

Akbar has strongly denied the allegations and has filed a criminal defamation case against a female journalist.