Odisha: BJD leader moves SCW, seeking action against BJP MLA for passing sexist remarks

Bhubaneswar, July 7 (IANS) Senior leader of opposition Biju Janata Dal, Lekhasri Samantsinghar, on Monday approached the State Commission for Women (SCW), Odisha, demanding the arrest of BJP MLA from Nilgiri constituency Santosh Khatua for allegedly passing extremely derogatory and sexist remarks against Samantsinghar a couple of days back.

The BJD leader in a memorandum submitted to the SCW alleged that Khatua indulged in character assassination of Samantsinghar with an intention to outrage her modesty in public.

She further stated that a press conference was organised on July 2 at Sankha Bhavan (party headquarters) in Bhubaneswar, where Samantsighar raised the issue of poaching of an elephant at Telipal village in the Nilgiri area of Balasore district and smuggling of the tusk of the jumbo, alleging the involvement of Khatua in the poaching incident.

“The involvement of Santosh Khatua, MLA Nilgiri, in the said poaching incident was mentioned purely based on newspaper reports, various audio clips and the fact that three out of the four culprits were arrested from the farmhouse of Khatua. We demanded immediate investigation and action against him since a clear connection had been established between Khatua and the poachers,” alleged Samantsinghar.

She noted that the said press conference was held as per instructions of her party, and as a spokesperson, Senior General Secretary and the MP candidate of Balasore, she was leading the press conference.

Samantsinghar accused that within an hour of our press conference, Khatua called a group of media persons at his farmhouse in Nilgiri and, without replying to or rebutting the charges made against him by the BJD leaders, started abusing her straight away in the filthiest language possible.

The BJD leader also shared the video clip of the remarks made by Khatua before the media, which has been widely circulated in the state and has become national news.

“Khatua stooped so low as to call me a prostitute and alleged that I ran a sex racket. He even claimed that he had seen me doing all these immoral acts himself. His remarks are a direct consequence of our press conference, which I was doing as per the directions of my party,” added Samantsinghar.

In the memorandum, Samantsinghar also urged the SCW to immediately institute an inquiry into the incident of misconduct by Khatua and direct the police to take immediate action on the FIR she lodged against Khatua and his arrest, since the sections under which the MLA has been charged are cognisable and require custodial interrogation.

She requested the commission to issue directions to the state government and the police to ensure the safety of Samantsighar and her family members.

Calling the remarks made by BJP MLA Santosh Khatua ‘extremely unfortunate’ and ‘utterly unacceptable’, BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik had earlier lashed out at the ruling BJP for keeping mum on this issue.

--IANS

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