Make-up artist arrested for ‘sexual assault’

Kolkata: Pankaj Biswas, a 32-year-old renowned makeup artist and owner of Pankaj Makeup Academy, was arrested by Haridevpur Police Station on charges of sexual assault.

The complaint filed by a young model alleged that Biswas molested her on September 3, 2024, between 11:45 am and 12:10 pm at his academy located at 403 MG Road, Kolkata. The model alleged she was disrobed and assaulted by Biswas during a scheduled modelling session. Biswas, who resides at 1116 MG Road, Shibalok, Kolkata, was arrested on Sunday by Haridevpur PS.

A case was registered at Haridevpur Police Station under several sections of BNS, including charges related to outraging modesty and other related offences. The incident garnered significant public attention and raised concerns about safety in professional environments. On social media, several Facebook users expressed their outrage. One female model posted: “Are we not safe even in our workplaces? Disappointed and fearful about trusting a male makeup artist now. Pankaj Biswas, I never expected this from you. I now question my own safety even when I visited your academy for shoots. Shame on such behaviour, especially from someone in your profession.

I hope you recover quickly, but this is unacceptable.”