- Harshad Chopda revealed he was sexually assaulted as a child on Lock Upp Season 2
- He was around 9-10 years old when the incidents occurred with trusted adults
- Harshad did not understand the abuse and never told anyone before sharing now
The latest episode of Lock Upp Season 2 took an emotional turn as contestant Harshad Chopda revealed his third and final secret. During the episode, the actor spoke about a traumatic chapter of his life, when he was sexually assaulted and did not understand what was happening to him.
When Harshad was called upon the stage to share his secret with the code word “childhood,” the actor recalled the time when his parents had left him with a person they trusted. “I was around 9-10 years old. Our parents tend to trust other people with their children. Once they had left me with some trusted people, who were not only trusted by the family but by the whole community. As a child, I was a little submissive,” Harshad shared, adding that during the night he felt “someone was rubbing himself on me.”
Remembering the incident, Harshad shared, “I was fully dressed, it was just that someone was on top of me and rubbing. I didn't know what was happening. I was scared. I acted like I was sleeping. I have never told anyone about this before because I didn't even know what had happened.”
The actor continued by detailing another similar incident. “My pet name is Monu. He called me to the balcony to show me something for which he had to lift me. Then again he was picking me up and doing something which again I did not understand. I did not know how to question. I was scared,” Harshad explained.
Concluding his account, the actor urged all parents to never leave their children alone. “I want to request all parents not to leave their children alone. Talk to your kids so that they do not hesitate to tell you things. For people like me, whatever happens we need to blurt out and discuss things so that the wrongdoer is exposed! Those people are still living their lives joyously and I am standing here with my… That's why I have a little bit of fear when it comes to gay men. I don't hate them, I am just scared of them. That's my truth,” Harshad said.
This was not the first time a contestant on Lock Upp opened up about surviving sexual assault. Both Shivangi Joshi and Shreya Kalra shared their stories of being sexually assaulted.
