Dear President Trump,

My name is Riju Agrawal. My family immigrated to the U.S. from India 25 years ago. My parents represent the thousands of Indian immigrants who come to this country as skilled workers and eventually become U.S. citizens through the long and arduous process of naturalization. However, I write to you today not as an immigrant, but as an American. In October, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it would make it more difficult for H-1B visa holders to renew their visas, in line with your "Buy American, Hire American" executive order. I implore you to reconsider these changes to the H-1B visa program. They will hurt, rather than help, our country and our economy.

However, I write to you today not as an immigrant, but as an American.

You issued the executive order in April in response to ongoing concerns about the loss of American jobs to low-wage immigrant labor. Your administration argued that on average, H-1B workers are paid less than the median wages for the roles into which they are hired because the program has been exploited by firms like Infosys, Cognizant, and Tata Consultancy Services to outsource American jobs to cheaper Indian labor.

Your executive order suggests that you aim to protect the "economic interests" of American workers. But we can't protect the long-term economic interests of American workers by hobbling the fast-growing technology firms that are going to create high-skilled American jobs in the future.

Companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook represent the best of American innovation and ingenuity, and they're changing almost every dimension of our lives. These firms rely on foreign-born workers because of talent gaps in roles ranging from software engineering to management. By hiring foreign-born workers, the firms are able to grow more rapidly, which in turn helps create additional jobs for American workers. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg wondered publicly, "Why do we offer so few H-1B visas for talented specialists that the supply runs out within days of becoming available each year, even though we know each of these jobs will create two or three more American jobs in return?"

We can't protect the long-term economic interests of American workers by hobbling the fast-growing technology firms that are going to create high-skilled American jobs in the future.

Furthermore, restrictions to the H-1B visa program will render American companies less competitive than their foreign counterparts in China by increasing the cost of labor and hindering the transfer of ideas and knowledge. Making it difficult for American companies to find the highest-skilled and lowest-cost workers will only increase the cost of products that we all need and want. American workers are also American consumers!

Microsoft previously explained in a court motion that "Washington's technology industry relies heavily on the H-1B visa program...Microsoft, which is headquartered in Washington, employs nearly 5,000 people through the program. Other Washington companies, including Amazon, Expedia, and Starbucks, employ thousands of H-1B visa holders. Loss of highly skilled workers puts Washington companies at a competitive disadvantage with global competitors." If we prevent these companies from inviting a few thousand workers to the U.S., they will have no choice but to either move their factories to China because the domestic costs of labor are too high, or to increase the prices of their products. Neither move would benefit American workers or American consumers.

American workers are also American consumers!

In recent remarks, both you and Secretary of State Tillerson emphasized the importance of a renewed partnership between the U.S. and India, especially at a time when China is behaving "less responsibly" in the Indo-Pacific region.

However, having lived in India and worked in Indian government, I can assure you that India will not continue a partnership that it views as one-sided. Your administration's desire to amend the H-1B program and limit the ability of talented Indians to work and live in the United States will surely strain ties between the two countries. Your team has already heard multiple complaints on the H-1B issue from India's Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, and Minister of Commerce & Industry Suresh Prabhu. Damaging the U.S.'s partnership with India because of the H-1B issue is a short-sighted move that will come back to haunt us later as China's rise in Asia continues unchecked.

India will not continue a partnership that it views as one-sided.

President Trump, I know you understand the importance of the H-1B visa for the American economy. You've said yourself, "We need highly skilled people in this country...For that purpose, we absolutely have to be able to keep the brain power in this country." For this reason, I implore you to restore the fast-track review ("premium processing") of H-1B visa extension applications and to resist the urge to gut the H-1B program. Our American economy depends on it.

Your fellow American,

Riju Agrawal

The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.

AHMEDABAD, Gujarat — The first time I spoke with Hanif Lakdawala, about a month ago, the 67-year-old Gujarati doctor sounded calm, but his frustration over the treatment of Muslims in the run-up to assembly polls in the state was palpable even on the phone.

When I met him in Ahmedabad on Friday, a day ahead of the Assembly Elections, much of the calm had worn off and the public health activist, in soft tones, chastised Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shailesh Mehta who recently said that he would ensure that the town of Dabhoi would not turn into Dubai if he was elected a lawmaker.

The openly-communal comment about Dubai alludes to what some BJP leaders have said during rallies about capping the Muslim population that many Hindus see as a threat to their community.

"For the majority of people in Gujarat, hatred for Muslims has become part of their consciousness. They are born with hatred for Muslims," the doctor said.

Not only has Lakdawala worked to improve public health in urban slums for four decades, he is famous for rehabilitation work in the aftermath of the 2002 communal riots that displaced tens of thousands of Muslims. The four decades that he has spent in the field have also made a him the go-to guy for journalists and politicians. Every election, his office is crowded with reporters picking his brain about the Muslim community, while party workers seek his help in reaching out to the community.

I had returned for a conversation with Lakdawala, driven by curiosity about whether he had made up his mind about voting for the Congress which had gone through its campaigning for Gujarat elections without uttering the "M" word, taking the Muslim vote for granted and publicizing its Hindu credentials.

After witnessing Rahul Gandhi's temple-visiting spree, without a single visit to a Muslim neighbourhood, let alone a dargah or mosque, would the NOTA (none of the above) button on electronic voting machines end up being a viable choice for Lakdawala?

The doctor minced no words to relay his unhappiness.

"What Muslim vote? Does Muslim life even matter in India," he said, registering his horror at the hacking and burning alive of a Muslim man by a Hindu who suspected that he was involved with a Hindu woman.

The doctor then recalled the deaths of dairy farmer Pehlu Khan in Alwar and sixteen-year-old Junaid in a Haryana-bound train. "I don't think Muslim life matters," he concluded.

"This is an Assembly election. AAP has no chances here. The most important thing is for us to defeat the BJP and only Congress can defeat the BJP".

The furrows on his forehead deepened as he told me that he had always voted for the Congress Party, with the exception of the 2014 Assembly election when he chose the Aam Aadmi Party candidate because he was "honest."

"This is an Assembly election. AAP has no chances here. The most important thing is for us to defeat the BJP and only Congress can defeat the BJP," he said. "We don't have a choice. We just don't have a choice."

Universal Adult Franchise

In Gujarat, Muslims, who make up nine percent of the population, have been politically sidelined especially after the BJP came to power in 1995.

From 12 lawmakers in 1980, the number of Muslims in the state legislature has been steadily declining. In 2002, three Muslims were elected as lawmakers, five in 2007 and two in 2012. In 2017, the Congress has fielded six Muslims candidates, while the BJP does not have any.

In this election, the Muslims are calling themselves the "taken-for-granted community" because the Congress believes them to have no choice.

There is a contradiction when it comes to what the Congress is preaching and practicing.

At the national level, the Congress is pushing a secularism versus fundamentalism narrative, but the party's campaign in Gujarat has been a reaction to the BJP's narrative that one needs only the Hindus to win.

"Congress is soft Hindutva that we know. Even in 2002, there were some Congress people who were involved in looting and burning. The only difference is that Congress being a conglomeration of people with different ideologies we always have some people whom we can go and talk. In BJP, if you ask me today, I don't know any BJP fellow who I can go and talk. They are not reaching out to the Muslim community," said Lakdawala.

There is no doubt that the Congress, led by a more confident Rahul Gandhi, has rattled the BJP in its own bastion. Some analysts believe this to be neck-and-neck contest.

On the one hand, the Congress has focused on the Patels, successfully tapping into the anger that demonetisation has unleashed among the trader community. On the other hand, the Grand Old Party has steered clear of the Muslims, doing and saying nothing that could be interpreted as appeasing the minority.

Many Congress leaders say that the party's policy is only a means to an end because there is no other way of beating the BJP in a polarised state like Gujarat.

Others believe it to be setting the trend for future state elections and the national election. The Congress' strategy going forward would be to exploit anger against the the Modi government, focusing on issues like the economy, unemployment, caste atrocities and farmer distress.

In the battle of Gujarat, the Muslims have been made to feel entirely irrelevant and that is extremely dangerous. In a democracy, where people express themselves by voting, rendering impotent a community's Universal Adult Franchise is a sure shot way of radicalizing it.

In Gujarat, Lakdawala said, "Universal adult franchise does not mean anything for Muslims. Our vote does not matter."

1985....2002....2017

Unlike the majority of Muslims in Ahmedabad who live in "ghettos" populated with other Muslims, Lakdawala and his family has always lived in localities with mostly Hindus. But he can recall the exact moment that he first became conscious of being a Muslim. The year was 1985 and he was a 35-year-old medical practitioner in Ahmedabad.

"I was coming out of my home in a Hindu locality. My neighbor came and told me 'don't go out today'. I said why, the communal violence was at least eight to ten kilometers away. I said it is far away. But he said 'everyone knows that you are Muslim and there is a danger.' That is the first time I realized that I was Muslim and people thought that I was a different person and there is threat to me even if the communal violence is far away," Lakdawala said.

"That was the first time I realized that nothing else matters, my qualifications, my work, nothing matters in this society. In Gujarat, it is only religion. And slowly that identity of being Muslim was reinforced by various factors. We could not rent a house. Even in 1985, it was with difficulty that we could find a house but when we tried to shift to other localities, no one was ready to give us (accommodation). They flatly refused. It was only through a friend who was willing to give us a house and it was because there was a South Indian community living there that we got," the doctor told me.

When riots broke out in 2002, Lakdawala and his family sought refuge with their Hindu friends, moving from house to house. "We would move after a day or two so as not to burden any one family," he said. "The 2002 riots were bad. It was horrible."

"We would move after a day or two so as not to burden any one family."

The riots broke out after 59 Hindus activists, on their way back to Gujarat from the site of the demolished Babri masjid in Ayodhya on a train, were burnt to death by a suspected Muslim mob in February 2002. It triggered one of the country's worst religious pogroms that resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, in retaliatory violence.

If those episodes of religious violence made Lakdawala scared for his physical safety, the 2017 Assembly election have made him feel invisible.

While refusing to acknowledge the Muslims of Gujarat during its campaign, the Congress is now engaged in damage control by discreetly reaching out to the community. The party has deployed Muslim leaders from outside the state to reassure members from the community that they have not been forgotten.

Lakdawala, who was recently approached by one such Muslim leader, is appalled at the need to maintain secrecy.

"It is very humiliating. It is very humiliating for Muslims," he said.

"Congress would at least go to Muslims to get votes when there were elections, not secretly ask us to spread the word. Even though many Muslims will be happy to play a role in defeating BJP, there is no denying that is very hurtful," he said.

Also on HuffPost India:

A 21st-century movie based on the mythological-fiction of the 16th century about a 14th-century queen has ruffled political feathers in India. The members of Karni Sena, a politico-cultural group of Rajputs, man-handled Sanjay Leela Bhansali, movie's director, vandalized cinema halls and openly threatened a high-intensity violence if the movie is released. The protesters allege that the movie distorts the Rajput history, glorifies a barbaric invader as a lover and a brave warrior. Rumours are galore that the movie shows a love-affair between the Queen Padmavati and the invader Allaudin Khiljhi.

However, the truth is far more complex than what appears on the surface. Eminent journalists like Dr. Ved Pratap Vedic and Rajat Sharma have stated that the movie has absolutely nothing that is objectionable and insulting to the pride and culture of Rajputs. The fact that the above-mentioned journalists did not find anything objectionable with the movie shows that the ongoing agitation is not just about the alleged distortion of history and restoring the Hindu pride.

The entire saga smacks of ulterior motives which do not appear to be very clean.

The entire saga smacks of ulterior motives which do not appear to be very clean. So far the main agitators like Karni Sena and their leaders have not shown any gesture that shows their intent for any rational dialogue to sort out the issue in the light of evidence. Gujarat government has banned the movie; Yogi Adityanath has condemned the movie and even the Congress-led Punjab government has also banned the movie. It seems there are strong political stakes in the controversy.

Gujarat elections are on and Gujarat has roughly 6% Rajputs. Traditionally, they have been aligned with Congress. BJP for obvious political reasons preferred the Patidar community as they are numerically superior. Off late, because of the Patidar community's angst with BJP over the reservation issue, BJP has been wading in troubled waters which resulted in a major dent in BJP's traditional Patidar vote bank. Further, because of demonetization, the business community is already annoyed with Modi.

After Modi's departure to Delhi, the performance of the state government has been lacklustre. Modi's successor Anandi Ben did not enjoy the same popularity among the state BJP cadre as Modi did. Her handling of the Patel agitation further alienated the Patidars. As a result, she had to be dispensed with and replaced by Vijay Rupani. But the succession was not without frictions and controversies.

Since 2002, in the absence of any major communal riot, it has been difficult to cash upon the communal sentiments of Hindus for electoral gains. No one denies the fact that BJP has been losing ground in Gujarat ever since Modi has assumed the Prime Ministerial mentor. But Modi can't afford to lose Gujarat. It is indeed a prestige point for Modi, being his home state. Further, if BJP wins Gujarat, it will be a big psychological boost confirming the faith of the people in the leadership of the Modi in his home turf.

This psychological boost will be a boon for 2019 national elections. A prominent journalist from Dainik Bhaskar media group told this author that in the Padmavati controversy BJP sees an opportunity to rake up Hindu nationalism and dormant communal sentiments of Gujaratis. This controversy might put to silence disturbing questions on demonetization and job-creation, driving away people's attention from drab economic worries to volatile and passionate concerns of nationalism, Hindutva and a larger objective of regressive course correction in history. Further, in such difficult times if minor appeasement baits to Padmavati protestors swings even a small portion of Rajput votes to BJP, then, politically it could be the deal worth going for.

In such difficult times if minor appeasement baits to Padmavati protestors swings even a small portion of Rajput votes to BJP, then, politically it could be the deal worth going for.

Superficially, the entire drama may look like a display of power by the fanatic fringe of Hindu rightwing. Generally, among the left-of-the-center public intellectuals, the tendency will be to perceive the entire episode as an assertion of fascist Hindu rightwing elements under the allegedly favorable BJP government.

However, the truth might actually be far more complex and nuanced. After Indira Gandhi stopped privy purses, and with the strengthening of the grassroots democracy in India, the Rajput community faced a major decline in their socio-political clout. Their numbers have declined fast in the government services.

This has a led to a feeling of insecurity among them and some shrewd community leaders have been smart enough to cash upon such sentiments to advance their political careers. With these violent protests, they want to show that they have the street power and they can bring the state machinery to its knees. This author feels that this agitation has more to do with caste-based identity politics of Rajputs then with core ideology of Hindutva.

And, one can witness a revisionist tendency and a crude form of cultural assertion among the Rajputs in myriad ways. The young Rajput lad Om Banna has almost acquired a sacred status because of some supernatural stories surrounding his death and now he has become a strong instrument of political mobilization. Recently, over the police encounter of a dreaded criminal Anandpal, a Rajput, the community leaders made a big hue and cry and the matter had turned into a political hot-cake.

Caste Dynamics

One can find amateur historians trying to prove Maharana Pratap's victory over Akbar in Haldighati for petty political interests. Hence, at a deeper level there are very subtle and strong casteist undercurrents but since the Rajputs are Hindus, it becomes easier in the existing jingoistic socio-political milieu, for the Hindutva fringe and their twitter brigades to pile on, for socio-political gains.

But, the intellectuals have to be honest here. A broad-brushing analysis that this is just a fascist Hindutva business is very superficial and smacks of their personal hatred for the ongoing ruling establishment. Any honest and objective inquiry will explore the caste dynamics and dig into the socio-cultural roots of such developments.

Was Padmini a real character or a fictitious character that has acquired a sacred status?

According to the written sources, Padmavati is not mentioned in any of the historical sources of Rajasthan. The character finds its first mention in a text named Padmawat written 250 years after the Khiljhi's Chittor invasion, by a Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi who lived in Faizabad, separated from Mewar by more than 1000 kilometers. And, it is basically a Sufi text that cannot be treated as a source of political history of Mewar.

But then it deserves to be mentioned that Padmini might be a fictitious character but the practice of Jauhar by Rajput females is a historical fact. The Rajput females captured in wars were often ill-treated, their dignity violated and they were either sold in the slave markets of central Asia or confined to Harem of invader kings. In order to escape that humiliation and protect their honor the females often immolated themselves which came to be known as Jauhar.

Distortion Of Historical Facts?

In this entire saga, the main issue that has often been raised is the distortion of historical facts. This issue could have been seen in an objective manner too but most often such issues immediately acquire a saffron color and become a question of Hindu identity. This is so because Hindus feel that Marxist historians in India have maligned their heroes like Sivaji and Maharana Pratap and made heroes out of bigots and murderers like Aurangzeb, Tipu Sultan and Allauddin Khaljhi.

I have myself studied in the elitist bastions of higher education in India and found them to be left-dominated. During the last five to six decades of Congress rule, they got the patronage from the establishment. The left-liberal cluster that is derisively called as 'pseudo-secular' these days, had turned dictatorial and allegedly banished the alternative schools of thoughts from the academia.

In fact, this is one of the reasons why the right-wing forces in India got the popular support. They were successful in spreading the message across the wider sections of the majority community that for petty political reasons minority appeasement has crossed the limits and it would result in wiping out the socio-cultural roots of Hindus. In this entire controversy, one comes across vandalism by lumpen elements holding state machinery to ransom. Even their baseless arguments and political chicanery get a pass because at deeper levels Hindus feel that their history has been tampered with.

In this entire controversy, one comes across vandalism by lumpen elements holding state machinery to ransom. Even their baseless arguments and political chicanery get a pass because at deeper levels Hindus feel that their history has been tampered with.

Finally, a democratic and secular state like India cannot allow a group of violent elements to ride roughshod over the constitutional guarantees like freedom of expression.

We are setting a very wrong precedent by allowing such Taliban-styled fringe groups to acquire social legitimacy and a political clout. In a multicultural society like India, such violent extremism has no place if we are to keep our communal harmony intact and sustain ourselves as a vibrant democracy, safeguarding basic human rights.

(The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.)

It was one of the best-kept secrets of the decade: When Kensington Palace announced on Nov. 27 that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were engaged, they surprised the world, as it was generally assumed that the couple, who had only been dating for a year and a half, would wait until the new year to announce that they would wed.

Now, one of the people closely involved in the engagement is speaking out on how hard it was to keep that secret.

The designer of Markle's gorgeous engagement ring — a trio of diamonds on a yellow gold band — recently told Hello magazine that making the ring was the "biggest and hardest" secret he has ever had to keep.

David Thomas, a jeweler at Cleave and Company Court Jewellers, also refused to discuss how much Harry paid for the ring, which features a large diamond sourced from Botswana, and two smaller diamonds which were from a tiara that once belonged to Princess Diana.

"Jewelers are like doctors: we never discuss our patients," Thomas explained.

He also won't make replicas. Unlike the Duchess of Cambridge's engagement ring, which has been copied the world over, Cleave and Company will not make reproduction rings for their customers.

"We're not going to be making replicas of it," Stephen Connelly, director of Cleave and Company, told Hello. "If you want a ring, then we'll design you a different one."

But if you are itching to get a lookalike ring, there are many options. "We are expecting Meghan's yellow gold band will spur its own increase in popularity for yellow gold in particular," Chloe Nalbantian, style director at wedding app Bridebook.co.uk, told HuffPost UK, which found some gorgeous alternatives.

But of course, these rings won't have the same sentimentality as Markle's. As Harry explained during the couple's first TV interview just after they appeared at Kensington Palace for a photo call, he purposely kept his mum in mind to "make sure that she's with us on this — on this crazy journey together" as he was designing the ring.

"It's so important to me to know that [Diana's] a part of this," noted Harry. "I think she would be over the moon, jumping up and down."

Markle also knows how unique her engagement ring is, explaining in the broadcast interview, "It's incredible... It's incredibly special. And you know to be able to have this which sort of links where you come from and Botswana which is important to us and it's perfect."

Botswana, of course, is where we now know the prince and Markle went on their third "date," which ended up being a camping trip. "It was three, maybe four weeks later [after the second date] that I managed to persuade her to come join me in Botswana and we camped out with each other under the stars... then we were really by ourselves," Harry said in their TV interview.

Also on HuffPost:

Countless Indian women have faced harassment of some form or the other from male passengers on flights, and as often is the case, the abuser is rarely apprehended. Dangal actress Zaira Wasim went through one such a nightmarish experience on a Delhi-Mumbai flight. A middle-aged man who sat behind her, kept his feet on her armrest and ran it over her back, neck and shoulders as she struggled to document the violation and draw the attention of the crew.

"The lights were dimmed, so it was even worse. It continued for another 5-10 minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck," Wasim wrote on an Instagram live story last night. She posted a photo of a man's foot and said, because the cabin lights were dimmed she could not get a better photo as evidence of the trauma she suffered.

Somebody misbehaved with her in the flight 😤 Strict actions must be taken on this incident 😡 OMG she is Crying 😢 . . . . . . . . #repost #flightattendant #misbehaving #terrible #actions #kashmir #india #indian #fools #live #zaira #zairawasim #bolllywood #video #viral #follow4follow #like4like #airport #fans

A post shared by zaira wasim (@zaira_wasimworld) on Dec 9, 2017 at 2:24pm PST

She is seen breaking down in the video and saying "It's not done at all."

In a statement, airline company Air Vistara today said it was investigating the incident. However it's unclear if there has been any effort to apprehend the suspected molester whose details are undoubtedly with the airline.

We @airvistara have seen the reports regarding @ZairaWasimmm experience with another customer on board last night. We are carrying out detailed investigation and will support Zaira in every way required. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour.

— Vistara (@airvistara) December 10, 2017

Official Statement: Update #2 pic.twitter.com/9VQOjzGTOK

— Vistara (@airvistara) December 10, 2017

We @airvistara have seen the reports regarding @ZairaWasimmm experience with another customer on board our flight last night. We are investigating fully and will support Zaira in every way required. We have zero tolerance for this kind of thing.

— Sanjiv Kapoor (@TheSanjivKapoor) December 9, 2017

Sources in the airline told ANI that Wasim "had not brought the incident to notice of the crew till the flight commenced descent. After landing the crew inquired about the incident and asked Zaira and her mother if they want to file a complaint but they denied."

However, Tuhin Mishra, Wasim's manager, told news channels that they had in fact approached cabin crew, "but they didn't act".

"We have written to Vistara," he said.

Condemning the incident as "shameful", Maharashtra State Commission for Women's chairperson, Vijaya Rahatkar, said MSCW will direct DGCA to conduct an inquiry in the matter. "We will inquire into the steps taken by Vistara to address the complaint. There should be inquiry about why the cabin crew did not help her. We have directed the Mumbai Police to look into the matter immediately."

Wasim, 17, won a National Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing a young Geeta Phogat in the film Dangal.

As more and more women step out of their homes to explore a wider degree of independence, sexual crimes against them have also steadily risen, enabled by a societal culture rooted in patriarchy and male insecurity. A poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation found that Delhi is still the "rape capital" of India with a steady rise in sexual violence – 2,155 rapes were recorded in Delhi in 2016 - a rise of 67 per cent from 2012.

• U.K.
  WaterAid/ Anna Kari
• Bangladesh
  WaterAid/Al Shahriar Rupam
• Tanzania
  WaterAid/ James Kiyimba
• Malawi
  WaterAid/ Dennis Lupenga
• Bangladesh
  WaterAid/Al Shahriar Rupam
• Canada
  WaterAid/ Danielle Donders of Mothership Photography
• Rwanda
  WaterAid/ Behailu Shiferaw
• Bangladesh
  WaterAid/Al Shahriar Rupam
• Rwanda
  WaterAid/ Behailu Shiferaw
• U.K.
  WaterAid/ Anna Kari
• Malawi
  WaterAid/ Dennis Lupenga
• Tanzania
  WaterAid/ Eliza Powell
• Canada
  WaterAid/ Danielle Donders of Mothership Photography
• Bangladesh
  WaterAid/Al Shahriar Rupam
• Malawi
  WaterAid/ Dennis Lupenga
• Malawi
  WaterAid/ Dennis Lupenga
• Canada
  WaterAid/ Danielle Donders of Mothership Photography
• Tanzania
  WaterAid/ James Kiyimba
• Tanzania
  WaterAid/ James Kiyimba
• Malawi
  WaterAid/ Dennis Lupenga
• U.K.
  WaterAid/ Anna Kari
• Rwanda
  WaterAid/ Behailu Shiferaw
• Malawi
  WaterAid/ Dennis Lupenga
• U.K.
  WaterAid/ Anna Kari
• Rwanda
  WaterAid/ Behailu Shiferaw
• Canada
  WaterAid/ Danielle Donders of Mothership Photography
• Bangladesh
  WaterAid/Al Shahriar Rupam
• Malawi
  WaterAid/ Dennis Lupenga
• Malawi
  WaterAid/ Dennis Lupenga
• U.K.
  WaterAid/ Anna Kari

A 39-year-old man, identified as Vikas Sachdev, a senior executive of a media and entertainment company, has been arrested and charged for allegedly molesting Dangal actress Zaira Wasim on a Delhi-Mumbai flight on Saturday.

Mumbai Mirror quoted police sources as saying that he often travelled on the route.

Sachdev has been booked under section 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of IPC, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) since Wasim is 17 years old, a report in the Economic Times said.

Wasim has accused Sachdev, who sat behind her on Air Vistara's flight to Mumbai, of keeping his feet on her armrest and running it over her back, neck and shoulders as she struggled to document the violation and draw the attention of the crew.

"The lights were dimmed, so it was even worse. It continued for another 5-10 minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck," Wasim wrote on an Instagram live story. She posted a photo of a man's foot and said, because the cabin lights were dimmed she could not get a better photo as evidence of the trauma she suffered.

She is seen crying in the video and saying "It's not done at all."

In a statement, Air Vistara said it was investigating the incident.

Sources in the airline told ANI that Wasim "had not brought the incident to notice of the crew till the flight commenced descent. After landing the crew inquired about the incident and asked Zaira and her mother if they want to file a complaint but they denied." However, Tuhin Mishra, Wasim's manager, told news channels that they had in fact approached cabin crew, "but they didn't act".

Condemning the incident as "shameful", Maharashtra State Commission for Women's chairperson, Vijaya Rahatkar, said MSCW will direct DGCA to conduct an inquiry in the matter. Several political parties have reacted to the incident.

Wasim won a National Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing a young Geeta Phogat in the film Dangal.

As more and more women step out of their homes to explore a wider degree of independence, sexual crimes against them have also steadily risen, enabled by a societal culture rooted in patriarchy and male insecurity. A poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation found that Delhi is still the "rape capital" of India with a steady rise in sexual violence – 2,155 rapes were recorded in Delhi in 2016 - a rise of 67 per cent from 2012.