Police Enter OTV Office Premises Without Search Warrant

Bhubaneswar: A senior journalist with the Odisha Television Ltd (OTV), Ramesh Rath was picked by the police from near his residence in Bhubaneswar on Thursday afternoon allegedly in connection with the investigation of an old case without any prior notice and the cops later entered the premises of the media house without a search warrant.

Officials of the Keonjhar Sadar Police, which is investigating the case pertaining to an obscene picture of a people's representative belonging to the Scheduled Tribe that had gone viral on social media in 2019, picked up Rath today. The police claim that a person, who was arrested in connection with the case, had in his statement said that an OTV staff is involved in the incident and some evidence related to the same could be traced to OTV office.

Based on the statement, police picked up Rath today and also seized his mobile phones.

Meanwhile, a case has been registered against Ramesh Rath at the Keonjhar Sadar Police Station and he has been issued a notice to appear at the PS on October 21.

"Without any intimation, police picked me up today in connection with an old case and seized my mobile phones. I was taken to Chandrashekharpur Police Station and issued a notice to appear before the Keonjhar Police. While the case has been closed and the charge-sheet already filed, police have once again initiated the probe for vested interests," said Rath.

Responding to the allegations, Keonjhar Sadar PS In-charge, Jai Narayan Khandei said, "The arrested accused, in his statement, said that he has kept some evidence related to the case at OTV office. We are trying to ensure justice to an ST woman."