Odisha Police on Friday detained the editor of a web-channel for questioning following harassment allegations levelled against him by Olympian Dutee Chand.
Sudhansu Sekhar Rout, editor of web-channel Focus TV was picked up from his office at Jharpara in Bhubaneswar and taken to the Mahila Police Station for questioning.
“Based on the complaint of athlete Dutee Chand at Mahila Police Station on Wednesday, a case was registered against Rout. Dutee has made serious allegations ranging from threats, defamation, sexual harassment insulting modesty and others against Sudhanshu Sekhar Rout,” Bhubaneswar DCP Umashankar Dash said.
The sprinter had lodged a complaint with the Mahila Police Station against Rout, a reporter of the web channel Smruti Ranjan Behera and RTI activist Pradip Pradhan for allegedly publishing defamatory new stories against her during her participation at the recently held Tokyo Olympics 2020.
A case was registered under multiple Sections of the IPC, including 292-2 (obscene and indecent publication), 354-A (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation), 385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).
“I was mentally harassed and had to face character assassination. I have filed a defamation case and lodged a police complaint. They made an issue using my character and gender which was very distasteful. I am confident that I will get justice. I am happy and relaxed that today a person has been detained,” said Chand.
{{/usCountry}}“I was mentally harassed and had to face character assassination. I have filed a defamation case and lodged a police complaint. They made an issue using my character and gender which was very distasteful. I am confident that I will get justice. I am happy and relaxed that today a person has been detained,” said Chand.
{{/usCountry}}During a press conference on Thursday, the athlete had alleged that the stories published by the channel had hurt her a lot and she underwent stress which affected her performance at the Olympics. Chand had failed to qualify for the semi-finals in the women’s 200m event in Tokyo Olympics.
She also moved the civil court in Bhubaneswar demanding compensation of ₹5 crore from the journalist for defaming her and subsequently causing her to lose advertisement contracts with several corporate houses.
She accused journalist Sudhansu Sekhar Rout and RTI activist Pradip Pradhan of running a malicious campaign on social media when she was preparing for the 200m event at the Tokyo Olympics, held recently.