By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: While defending Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Police action against OTV and its subsidiaries over fake news and land scam, BJD Rajya Sabha MP Dr Sasmit Patra has raised IIMFA Group’s illegal chromites business. The IMFA Group is owned by BJP National VP Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda family.
Countering OTV’s Operating Officer, Litisha Mangat during a TV debate with Arnab Goswami at Republic TV, BJD MP and National spokesperson, Dr Patra alleged that OTV promoted by BJP leader Jay Panda and Jagi Panda, “they always want their corporate dealings and chromites business remain untouched and nobody should questions their business,”. Dr Patra alleged that the journalist who was picked up by police , was an accused a in viral video case involving ruling BJD Lok Sabha MP from Keonjhar, Chadrani Murmu.
In a statement , Keonjhar BJD Lok Sabha MP Murmu has accused the journalists of harassing, torturing and defaming her. Accusing OTV reporter Ramesh Rath as the perpetrator of the crime, Murmu said OTV MD Jagi Mangat Panda and her husband and BJP’s national Vice President Baijayant Panda are trying to save him by claiming that this is an attack on OTV and its journalists by the State Government.
“I have a question for OTV’s owners Jagi Panda and Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda. If a daughter from your family was in my place and her morphed obscene video had been viraled, would you have saved the man like OTV reporter Ramesh Rath who had perpetuated it?,” the MP said in her statement. “Both Jagi Panda and Jay Panda are friends with powerful people in Delhi and are using their connections to run media stories that OTV reporter Ramesh Rath being questioned by police is an attack on media and journalism,” she said.
“I demand that Jagi Panda, Jay Panda and OTV stop trying to save the perpetrators of crime like Ramesh Rath and that the national media should not fall prey to fake and false narratives being peddled by the Pandas and OTV,” she added in her statement. Notably, reporter Ramesh Rath was earlier picked up by Keonjhar police for questioning and later released. Sources said Rath was questioned in connection with the controversial video.In 2019, another OTV journalist Simanchal Patra was arrested for his alleged involvement in the case. During quizzing, Patra reportedly told the police that he got the video from Rath.
Meanwhile, “Citing a case in Odisha’s Keonjhar, Editors Guild of India said ” the Odisha Police picked up a senior journalist, Ramesh Rath, employed with a regional news channel, OTV, on charges of having circulated an obscene video last year. OTV has stated that the journalist has been targeted for having done a series of reports exposing the BJD Government in Odisha, although the State police has denied the allegations, saying no arrest has yet been done. The Guild believes that such actions threatens as well as undermines the independent functioning of the media organizations. These should e withdrawn forth worth,” the Guild said, in a statement that was signed by President Shekhar Gupta, General secretary AK Bhattacharya and Treasurer Sheela Bhatt.
