The Commissionerate Police in Bhubaneswar on Saturday arrested Odia film producer Sanjay aka Tutu Nayak for allegedly assaulting a woman journalist in the city, an official said.
The action was taken following an FIR lodged at the Kharvela Nagar Police station by a female journalist, Debasmita Rout, accusing Nayak of attacking the journalist and even showing indecent behaviour towards her.
“I was shocked, and my microphone and mobile phone fell off my hands. As I sat down to gather the items, he hit me on my back. I don’t know why he behaved like this,” she alleged.
Police booked Tutu under sections 354 (outraging modesty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 294 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
He was sent to judicial custody after a local court rejected his bail.
Debasmiya was allegedly slapped and misbehaved by Nayak when she was in a cinema hall during the release of an Odiya film on Friday.
Earlier in the day, Nayak was brought to Kharvela Nagar Police Station, where he was subjected to interrogation.
Nayak was served a notice, but he did not appear before the police.
On Saturday evening, he was sent to court, where he was sent to Jharpada jail for a period of 14 days.
After the incident of the alleged assault, members of Odisha Women in Media, a forum of women journalists, also lodged a complaint with the deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Bhubaneswar, seeking a fair probe into the matter.
Meanwhile, the State Commission for Women also registered a suo motu case in this connection and sought a report from the police on action taken within 15 days.