TV
Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officer Sarthak Saurabh Mahapatra appeared at the Bhubaneswar Mahila Police Station on Friday after his wife, Archana Das, lodged a complaint accusing him of domestic harassment and neglect.
Archana, an Assistant Executive Engineer in the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, filed an FIR stating that Sarthak abandoned her and their newborn child just days after she delivered a baby boy at a private hospital on May 10. She alleged that despite becoming a father, Sarthak never came to check on them or extend support.
The complaint further named his mother and sister, accusing them of mental torture and mistreatment.
Speaking to the media after his appearance, Mahapatra strongly refuted the allegations.
Speaking to OTV, Mahapatra said, “Other than me, my mother has no one. My mother and sister need emotional support, but my wife never stood by me. Just because I gave time to my mother, I was treated like a criminal.”
He added that he had stayed at the hospital for three days after the delivery, took care of his wife and newborn, but received no help from his in-laws.
“Later, she blamed me for the child’s malnourishment, just because we stayed at my home,” Mahapatra added.
He also clarified that he had briefly returned home from the hospital as his mother was unwell.
“I am not Atul Subhash. I will fight till the end. I have faith in the Court and in Lord Jagannath. I have filed a complaint at the Airfield police station in May. However, the complaint did not yield any result. From this, it is evident that, who is using influence and power,” he stated.
Further he said, “I am the first one from my family who joined government service, and from my ag,e you must guess I am in service for 3-4 years. I want to meet my son in a formal setting as per the Court’s directive.”
Police have launched a preliminary investigation into the allegations and are likely to summon others named in the complaint.
