Tanushree files plea seeking new probe into #MeToo claim

Six months after Oshiwara police said there was no evidence to substantiate the allegations of sexual harassment made by actor Tanushree Dutta against actor Nana Patekar, Dutta has challenged the closure report. Dutta filed a protest petition against Oshiwara police’s closure report on Thursday.

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On October 10, 2018, Dutta had filed a complaint alleging Patekar had touched her inappropriately on March 26, 2008, during the shooting of the film Horn OK Please.

In June this year, Oshiwara police filed a closure report at the metropolitan magistrate court at Andheri, saying that it had found no evidence to substantiate Dutta’s complaint.

In its report, the police have claimed Dutta’s allegations against Patekar were “false and revengeful in nature”.

Dutta’s lawyer Nitin Satpute on Thursday filed a protest petition, asking that the summary report filed by Oshiwara police be rejected and that Dutta’s allegations be investigated by Mumbai Police’s crime branch.

Dutta has also alleged that the investigating team did not record complete statements, and that the investigating officer failed to record statements of eye-witnesses. She also claimed that all the evidence, that was gathered, was not produced in the court.

In addition to requesting the investigation be redone by the crime branch, Dutta has asked that all witnesses and the investigating officer take narco-analysis tests. She has also sought an inquiry against the investigating officer.

HT reached out to Dutta and Patekar, but neither were available for a comment.