Bhubaneswar: The sexual harassment case against Ollywood actor Tattwa Prakash Satapthy aka Papu Pom Pom took a dramatic turn on Tuesday after the victim’s father stunned everyone with a statement on OTV that the girl produced before the court by the police was not his daughter.
In a lengthy interview to OTV, the minor girl’s father also stated that his daughter was at home on June 28, the day police claimed it produced the victim before the court to record her statement.
“My daughter has not gone to court....They (police) may have taken another girl to the court and enacted the whole drama....My daughter has not gone to court on June 28,” said the father of the minor victim.
Such a statement has not only given a fresh twist to the case, but has also raised doubts on the claim of police that it had recorded the victim’s statement on the incident under Section 164 of CrPC on June 28. Going by the statement of the victim’s father, the obvious question that arises is: if she was at home, then who the police produced before the court and whose statement it recorded.
Again, if the victim’s statement was not recorded before the court on that particular day, why did her father not complain about this when police claimed about the same?
During the interview, the victim's father also wanted the case against the actor to be withdrawn claiming a settlement had been reached between them. Vouching for the character of Papu, the victim’s father mentioned that the actor is a gentleman and he speaks to him frequently.
“I don’t want the matter to go any further...My daughter is in a tender age....The way the society is changing, I want my daughter to excel in studies...If this case continues, it might hamper her studies and also she may be disturbed mentally,” he maintained.
Legal professionals, however, believe that the chances of an amicable settlement between the parties in the case, scheduled to be heard on July 11, are remote.
“The investigation is in an early stage and I think there is very little scope of getting bail in the matter. He (Papu) will not go scotfree in the case. The court will not allow compromise as the sections under which he has been booked are not compoundable,” senior lawyer Madhu Madhav Jena said.
On the statement of the victim’s father, he said, “The victim’s father is saying that she has not attended the court. But we do not believe this as he seems to be influenced to give statement like this.”
The court will hear the petition on Papu’s bail on July 11.