BJD leader moves SCW seeking BJP MLA's arrest for derogatory remarks

Bhubaneswar, Jul 7 (PTI) BJD leader Lekhasri Samantsinghar on Monday asked the State Commission for Women, Odisha to direct police to arrest ruling BJP MLA Santosh Khatua for his alleged derogatory remarks against her.

Accompanied by a group of party leaders, Samantasinghar submitted a memorandum to the State Commission for Women.

The memorandum demanded that the SCW "Immediately institute an inquiry into the incident of misconduct by Khatua and issue a direction to police to take immediate action on my FIR and arrest the culprit since the sections under which the MLA has been charged are cognizable and requires custodial interrogation".

The BJD leader has already filed a written complaint at the Mahila Police Station in Bhubaneswar against the BJP MLA.

Narrating the sequence of the incident, the BJD woman leader said that Khatua out of anger targeted her and made wild allegations and also pointed fingers at her character.

"His filthy and misogynistic way of portraying women is a gross violation of the law of the land and amounts to outraging the modesty of a woman," Samantasinghar said.

The BJD leader said the MLA made such remarks after she at a party press conference accused him of having links with poachers who killed elephants in Nilgiri area. "Instead of giving a reply to my allegations, he targeted me," she said.

Samantsinghar also told the SCW that she also fears danger to her life as Khatua lives near her house at Nilgiri in Balasore district.

"Since the person in question is a ruling party MLA, I would request the Commission to act independently and impartially in bringing the matter to justice. I would request to treat this matter with due urgency since delay may dilute the seriousness of the problem," she said in the memorandum.

Meanwhile, four complaints have been filed against the MLA, three at Nilgiri police station in Balasore district and one at Mahila Police Station in Bhubaneswar by Samantsingher herself.

The Police on July 5 booked Khatua, under BNS sections 75 (2) that deals with sexual harassment, 79 (offensive words, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 296 (obscene act/ song in a public place) and 356 (defamation).

Khatua on Monday accused Samantsinghar of making "unacceptable" remarks against women whose husbands go outside the state on migration. This apart, the MLA said he just responded to Samantasinghar's remarks of "thief" and "dacoit" towards him. PTI AAM AAM RG