Congress team to probe sexual abuse in Orissa

Sambalpur, Jun 6: A four-member team headed by Congress Deputy leader in the Orissa Assembly Narasingh Mishra visited Barpali and Bijepur to inquire into the sexual harassment charges levelled by a woman against party MLA Subal Sahoo. Later talking to newspersons here yesterday, Mr Mishra said no adverse was found against the Bijepur MLA and that not a single man, including the peon of the inspection bunglow, gave any statement against Mr Sahu.

The woman, who had made the allegation against the Congress MLA, however, failed to appear before the team despite being intimated much earlier by the Committee. Mr Mishra said the probe committee would complete the inquiry within two days and submit the report to Pradesh Congress Committee. The Congress MLA's fate would depend on the decision of PCC and AICC, he remarked. Few days back, a woman from the minority community of Bijepur and classmate of the MLA's wife had alleged that Mr Sahu molested her in the MLA quarters at Bhubaneswar when she went there to request him for a job.

The incident took place one-and-half-a-year back. The Congress party had already suspended the MLA from the party and expelled him from the post of district president of Bargarh.

The other members of the probe committee included former Director General of Police B K Tripathy, PCC Vice-President Savitri Choudhury and former Minister Amarnath Pradhan.

UNI