By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/NEW DELHI: The office of Lok Sabha speaker will likely to take call on a privilege notice filed by BJD Keonjhar Lok Sabha MP Chandrani Murmu against OTV news channel, owned by family members of BJP National VP Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda. MP Murmu has written to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking breach of privilege proceedings against news channel OTV.The MP has accused OTV reporters of circulating a morphed and obscene video of her with an intention of defaming, harassing and torturing her.“Police during investigation arrested an OTV junior reporter along with others. The OTV junior reporter named Ramesh Rath as the perpetrator of the crime.But when the police examined Ramesh Rath on 15th October, OTV attempted to subvert the truth,” Murmu said in the letter.
“Several false and fake news programmes were run on OTV from 15th October, 2020 onwards stating that Ramesh Rath was questioned since he had published a story on the Chief Minister of Odisha and not because of the morphed, obscene video of mine which was viral.This attempt to change the narrative of the truth through false and fake programmes is unfortunate and sad.
It is aimed at concealing the truth that Rath is one of the perpetrators of the crime against me. I will not dwell on the criminal investigation part and criminality as the privilege proceedings are not meant to look into that,” Murmu mentioned.
“However, my privilege as a Member of the Lok Sabha has been grievously affected and violated.OTV has launched (a) vicious and malicious propaganda with an ill intention to derail the investigation.I am tendering this notice to you, seeking your protection to ensure that the OTV be restrained from airing such fake and false stories to save its reporter Ramesh Rath,” she said.“I am ready to appear as a witness in this case and provide the facts to you and/or the Privileges Committee. I look forward to your kind consideration and initiating a Breach of Privilege Proceedings against OTV at the earliest,” she concluded.
