Police give clean chit to BJD MP in woman scribe assault case

BJD MP Anubhav Mohanty and his younger brother Anuprasa Mohanty get clean chit by Odisha Police as no evidence found to substantiate the allegations of sexual harassment made by a woman journalist.

Cuttack (Odisha):The Odisha Police on Friday gave a clean chit to actor-turned-politician BJD MP Anubhav Mohanty from Kendrapara and his younger brother Anuprash Mohanty, who were booked for allegedly assaulting and harassing a local woman journalist.

Cuttack Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Akhileswar Singh said the investigating officers have found that there is no evidence about the Kendrapara MP assaulting the scribe or his brother passing any lewd comments against her.

"There was an exchange of words between the two sides on the day of the incident, but no evidence was found from the CCTV footage and mobile phone recordings to substantiate the allegations made by the scribe against the MP and his family," the DCP said.

The journalist had alleged that Anuprasa Mohanty had repeatedly passed obscene comments at her on several occasions in the past and on June 13, when she had visited the MP's house at Choudhury Bazaar to complain about it, Anubhav Mohanty and his wife assaulted her.

A day after, police had booked the MP and his family members under Indian Penal Code sections pertaining to punishment for use of obscene words in public, sexual harassment, voluntarily causing hurt and acts by several persons in furtherance of common intention.

The MP's brother had filed a counter-complaint with police against the journalist.

The woman journalist had gone to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's house about a fortnight ago to speak to him on the matter but was not allowed to meet him.