By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: A Photo of one Suar Babu , reportedly one of the co-accused in sexual harassment case in Kendrapara Credit Co-Operative Society with Kendrapara BJD Lok Sabha MP Anubhav Mohanty has gone viral in social media.
One user in Facebook, posted a photo of Anubhav with one Suar Babu, in which one responded saying, Suar Babu had taken Rs 1 lakh from the women employee, who had forced the police to arrest Society president and former BJD leader Pramod Sahu on charge of sexual harassments.
One user even wrote, Suar Babu posing photograph with MP while police keeping mum. The woman who has filed FIR against BJD leader Sahu said: “I am receiving death threats through various channels to withdraw the complaints against Pramod Sahu and they are claiming that he is a very powerful man and can do whatever he wants. Even he (Sahu) himself has also threatened me saying, he is the State Secretary of BJD, so do whatever you can.”
The woman employee of Kendrapara Credit Cooperative Society who brought allegations of workplace harassment against the society president, Pramod Kumar Sahu, alleged that she has been receiving threats.
“I have been receiving death threats through various channels to withdraw the complaints against Pramod Sahu and they are claiming that he is a very powerful man and can do whatever he wants. Even he (Sahu) himself has also threatened me saying, he is the State secretary of BJD, so do whatever you can,” the lady employee said in an exclusive interview to OTV.
Narrating the torment she had to face while working at the credit cooperative society, the complainant said, “Pramod Sahu always used to sexually harass me despite my protests. Often he would show lewd behaviour on pretext of seeking my help in helping him understand mobile functioning. He used to touch me inappropriately and also lure me with gifts and promotions. He also invited me to his farmhouse where he forced me to maintain physical relationship with him. When I resisted his advances, he threatened to rape and murder me. I was absolutely shocked to see such behaviour since he was a man of my father’s age.”
Kendrapada Journalists’ Association took out a rally and submitted a memorandum to Odisha Governor and CM through district Collector condemning MP Anubhav Mohanty’s “misbehaviour” towards a senior television journalist.
The senior journalist, Manoj Swain, who is working with OTV , has also lodged a complaint against the Parliamentarian with Kendrapada Town police station.
According to reports, actor-turned-politician, Anubhav Mohanty allegedly misbehaved with the TV journalist who approached him for his comments after a project announcement event at Kendrapara Collectorate for Baladevjew Temple.
A video of the incident showed that Mohanty refused to give his comment to that particular media channel and shoved the boom, dragged the journalist in front of the camera before mockingly clapping and commenting ‘you show news by distorting it’.
Following this, Manoj Swain has lodged a complaint with Kendrapara Town Police station and also submitted a memorandum to Odisha Governor and CM through Kendrapara Collector demanding an apology from the Parliamentarian and his resignation from the post of MP. Swain also sought police protection alleging that the MP and his supporters have issued death threats to him.
With no action yet against Kendrapara BJD Lok Sabha MP Anubhav Mohanty for his unruly behaviour, several Media Associations were on Wednesday came down heavily on actor turn MP Mohanty and sought stern action.
Utkal Union of Journalists president Prasanna Mohanty said that the MP has crossed all limits while former Times of Odisha chief Rajaram Satpathy condemning the incident.Senior Journalist Rabi Das too expressed his displeasure the way the Kendrapara MP misbehaved with a working Journalist in public.
The Asian Age, Odisha Correspondent, Akshya Sahoo, also condemned the incident and sought an apology from the MP. “The MP should not forget about his past and maintain a minimum decorum as a public figure,” State BJP’s senior Spokesperson Sajjan Sharma reacted to a post on Anubhav Mohanty.
However, studied silence maintained by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over his party MP’s such low behaviour has also raised many eyebrows.
“Naveen Patnaik who is very prompt in taking action against wrong doers however maintained studied silence on MP Anubhav Mohanty,” added a Journalist in Kendrapara.
Some says nothing will happen if Kendrapara unmoved while some says, State’s political fate always decided by this most political sensitive districts in coastal Odisha but gone are the days. Kendrapara is Mantri Pada( Ministers shed) and Legendary statesman Biju Babu’s Karma Bhoomi.
Those who fought and won saying ‘Swabhiman Vs Beiman’ now bringing hall of shame for the Kendrapara Parliamentary seat once represented by stalwarts like late Biju Patnaik, Surendra Nath Diwebdi, Rabi Ray, Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda and many more.
Since his election to Lok Sabha from Kendrapara as BJD MP , Actor turn Neta , Anubhav Mohanty only brought shame for the Parliamentary seat while his unholy tales spreads from Cuttack to Kendrapara and Police Stations to Courts.
Where is Swabhiman ? Asked a local in Kendrapara town adding it was a historic blunder electing a leader, who always hitting headlines for all wrong reasons. The studied silence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also raised many eyebrows, added a Kendrapara based Journalist.
In social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram flooded with messages condemning the Kendrapara MP for his unruly behaviour with media persons on duty.
Odisha Union of Journalists president Prasanna Mohanty however condemned the incident and said it was very unfortunate that a sitting MP behaving in such a low manner.
If you are writing, saying or showing something about Kendrapara MP , please be careful or ready to face the Dabang style of the actor turn Lower House Member in Parliament.
On Tuesday, even in front Kendrapara Collector’s office, the MP Mohanty misbehaved with OTV’s Correspondent Manoj Swain and used some unsocial words towards the Journalist amid applause from his supporters gathered at the spot. In last two months, it was second such case in which, the Kendrapara MP misbehaved with media persons.
The video of the incident captured in the camera of OTV journalist Manoj Swain showed Anubhav misbehaving with him in full public glare. Not only that the parliamentarian shoved the OTV boom and dragged the journalist in front of the camera before mockingly clapping and commenting ‘you show news by distorting it’. Some other supporters of the actor-turned politician were also seen applauding his disgraceful manner.
When the OTV journalist asked the MP for a byte over the development, he said, “What will I say to them those who do not have any dignity. While I comment one thing you distort the news and show it the other way for self-interests.”
Within months of his election, a Cuttack based Woman Journalist Sasmita Acharya had lodged FIR at Purighat police station in Cuttack under Sections 294 (obscene act in public), 354 (A) (sexual harassment), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 34 (criminal act) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the MP.
The Local police in Cuttack had recorded statements of woman journalist, Sasmita Acharya, who had accused BJD’s Kendrapara MP at the JMFC court in Cuttack under section 164 of CrPC but no action taken against the BJD National Spokesperson. The FIR also figured MP’s actress wife Barsa Priyadarshini Mohanty and Brother Anuprasa Mohanty, who is interested in mining business in Keonjhar-Sundargarh.
Few weeks back, Manjit Das of Cuttack, who is also State Vice-President of BJD’s Students’ Wing, Biju Chhtra Janata Dal had alleged that Party’s MP from Kendrapara Anubhav Mohanty mentally and physically harassing him. Meanwhile, a video purportedly showing the MP and Das involved in a heated exchange of words had gone viral.
Even though BJD has made Anubhav Mohanty as one of their National Spokesperson but not a single day anyone can see the MP in TV channel in National debates or debates relating to Odisha’s interest. “Not a single impressive developmental work has been taken by the MP since his election to Lok Sabha, added he.
