Bhubaneswar,
Mar. 31 ( Odisha.in) Putting an end to the weeklong Controversy over alleged bid of sexual harassment by Orissa
Assembly Speaker Maheswar Mohanty and allegation of conspiracy by Minister of
State for Information and Sports, Debasis Nayak, Mohanty tendered
resignation from his post on Monday afternoon, to keep him free from any
controversy and pave way for impartial probe into the matter.
The opposition political parties as well as a number of
women organisations were demanding Mohanty’s resignation after allegations of
sexual harassment by the Speaker to lady Assistant Marshal Gayatri Panda, who
was the first and only lady marshal in the Orissa Assembly.
Gayatri had alleged that the Speaker was trying to sexually
harass her and had repeatedly victimized her as she did not oblige him.
On the otherhand, Mohanty had denied her allegation as
” baseless and fabricated and part of a deep rooted conspiracy against him by some influential persons.” Though Mohanty had not named the conspirators, his
supporters had organized
demonstrations and had carried campaign in newspapers
alleging that information Nayak was behind the conspiracy.
Some local newspapers had published news and pictures
accusing Nayak’s link with Gayatri Panda and Umaballav Rath, former M.L.A. of Puri, who
is known as an enemy of Mohanty.
In the meanwhile Gayatri’s complaint was formally accepted
by the Bhubaneswar Mahila Police Station and a case was formally registered. Since Mohanty was in a constitutional post the police was
unable to take immediate action on Gayatri Panda’s complaint.
However on Monday a team of police officials from Bhubaneswar
have gone to Kuhunda the native village
of Gayatri and have recorded her
statement under 161 of IPC.
Monday was a hectic day both inside and outside the Orissa
Assembly as the opposition did not allow the House to function creating
pandemonium and demanding resignation of Mohanty and institution of C.B.I.
probe into the allegations of sexual harassment levelled by the Assistant
Marsha; Gayatri Panda.
Though the House was to sit till 2nd April (Wednesday )
Deputy Speaker Prahallad Dora abruptly
declared adjournment of the budget session. The budget was declared passed
without discussion in the House.
Hundreds of activists of Women Congress had gheraoed the
office of the State Commission for Women condemning the silence of the
Commission over a serious case like allegations of sexual harassment by the
Speaker Mohanty. Asima Mahananda, President of Orissa Pradesh Mahila Congress
had lead the demonstration.
Similary thousands of women from different parts of the
State demonstrated before the Orissa Assembly demanding resignation and arrest
of Mohanty as Well as C.B.I. probe into Gayatri Panda’s allegations.
Odisha.in