Akbar opened door in underwear: Tushita Patel | #MeToo

Union minister faces another charge of sexual harassment.

Former journalist Tushita Patel is the 16th and latest person to accuse Union minister M J Akbar of sexual harassment while she was working at the Deccan Chronicle and Asian Age newspapers in the 1990s. Allegations of sexual harassment and abuse have been tumbling out against the editor-turned-politican since Priya Ramani first took to Twitter to disclose Akbar's behaviour towards her.

In a scathing open letter to M J Akbar, which was published by scroll.in, Patel details three instances of sexual harassment that Akbar subjected her to, including opening the door to his home in nothing but his underwear and forcibly kissing her twice in newspaper offices in Calcutta and Hyderabad.

Patel has asked Akbar to come clean with his behaviour and fess up to his wrongdoings. "Show some contrition. Get some help," she writes.

She also warns that there are many more women with stories of absue at Akbar's hands.

"There are other victims who you almost broke and destroyed with your lust and power trip. They are enraged too, and they will come out.

Patel, 48, who went on to work for United Brewries (UB) Group, said in she believes that M J Akbar should be removed from the post of junior minister for external affairs. In her piece she details the various instances that M J Akbar took advantage of his position as a politician and editor and abused her and other women. Patel says she worked for Akbar from the time she was 22-30 years old. She quit the Asian Age in 2000.

Patel is the 16th woman to publicly name M J Akbar. She joins other journalists such as Priya Ramani, Suparna Sharma and Shutapa Paul. Akbar has filed a case of criminal defamation against Ramani.

Pressure for Akbar to resign is mounting, although the BJP and its top leaders haven't taken a decision yet. Akbar continues to work out of the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.