Arunabh Kumar steps down as TVF CEO

The Viral Fever (TVF) CEO Arunabh Kumar has stepped down from his position following allegations of sexual misconduct.

An FIR was filed against him at two Mumbai police stations (MIDC and Versova) for allegedly harassing an ex-employee of his firm. He has been booked under Sections 354 and 509 of the IPC, relating to outraging the modesty of a woman and molestation.

He has also tweeted an open letter explaining the reason behind his decision to resign from the post.

I have decided to step down as #TVFCEO pic.twitter.com/JKY5X7NL54

— Arunabh Kumar (@TheQtiyapaGuy) June 16, 2017

“TVF was, is and always will be larger than any one individual and I believe we have only just started on our path-breaking journey to be a young global organisation. In the wake of the recent personal attacks, what really breaks me is the blemish on the brand’s true promise. I have therefore taken the decision to step down as the CEO of TVF. I will be available as a mentor for the content team as they continue to deliver the stories you love us for,” he wrote.

The whole episode goes back to a few months. An anonymous blogger, under the pseudonym of Indian Fowler, alleged that Kumar had sexually harassed her when she was working with TVF between 2014 and 2016. The post later went viral on social media.

In April, another post popped up on social media by some other woman alleging a similar case of sexual harassment at the hands of Kumar.

Following the allegations, Arunabh was arrested on April 22, 2017, but was released on bail the same day after paying a bond of Rs 10,000.

Now, Dhawal Gusain has been named the new CEO of the company. He has been working with TVF since 2015 as COO. Dhawal has over a decade of industry experience and has worked with a lot of big time companies.