'Casting couch' directors seek anticipatory bail

Cuttack: Four days after a complaint was registered against them accusing them of involvement in casting couch, film directors Chandi Parija and Subrat Nayak on Wednesday filed a petition in the Orissa High Court
seeking anticipatory bail.

On Sunday, actress Sharmistha had filed a complaint against six persons, including Parija and Nayak, at the Mahila police station in Bhubaneswar accusing them of making sexual overtures on her dangling the carrot of better roles in television serials. Producer Bini samal and her husband Nihar Samal, event manager Bapi Jena and director Tapas Saragharia were the others named in the complaint.

“On different occasions, the persons I have named misbehaved with me and asked me to compromise. When I tried to lodge a police complaint, they threatened to stop giving me work. Later I did not work with them,” the actress said after filing the complaint.

“Bapi Jena has been harassing me for the past three years through Facebook chats,” she added.

However, rejecting the allegations outright, Chandi Parija, had said, “The charges are baseless. Why did she (Sharmistha) not approach the Mahila police station at the time I misbehaved with her? Why is she making allegations now?”

Meanwhile, based on the complaint, the Mahila Police has sent notices to all six asking them for physical appearance in the police station.