18 May,2019 04:22 PM IST | | mid-day online desk
Tanushree Dutta
In a new development to the Tanushree Dutta-Nana Patekar sexual harassment case, according to her lawyer, key witnesses are not coming forward to record their statements before police in the sexual harassment case filed by Tanushree Dutta against veteran actor Nana Patekar and others, due to fear of the accused.
Tanushree Dutta had filed a complaint in October 2018, in which she had alleged that Nana Patekar had inappropriately touched her on the pretext of showing her some dance steps and also insisted on appearing in the song sequence, which was ideally supposed to be a solo act. This was when Tanushree Dutta and Nana Patekar were filming on the sets of "Horn Ok Pleasss" in 2008.
She had also listed the names of choreographer Ganesh Acharya, producer Samee Siddhiqui and director of the film Rakesh Sarang in the complaint filed. Based on Tanushree's complaint, the police had registered a case against them.
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Talking to reporters on Friday evening, Tanushree Dutta's lawyer, Nitin Satpute, claimed that although many witnesses have recorded their respective statements before the police, the key witnesses in the sexual harassment incident are not willing to come forward due to fear of the accused.
"Police have recorded the statements of almost 15 witnesses, but key eyewitnesses of the incident have not recorded their statements. They are not coming forward because of the fear of the accused as they are highly influential people," her lawyer said.
Satpute said one woman eyewitness is not ready to support Tanushree Dutta's version now as she was made to face legal issues 10 years back.
"If the accused are arrested, then the witnesses will feel safe and they will come forward to record their statements," he added.
He also dismissed the "rumour" that police have given a clean chit to Patekar in connection with the case, which was registered at Oshiwara police station.
"No clean chit has been given to Nana Patekar or other accused. It cannot be given orally and can be approved onlyby the concerned magistrate," Satpute said.
"These rumours are being spread as the accused have stopped getting work in the film industry," he added.
Tanushree said in a statement, "The police have not given any statement about a clean chit to Nana. Rumours are being spread. The investigation is still ongoing. We have come to know that Nana's public relations team is spreading this rumour as the accused is not getting any work in the industry. This is an attempt at fixing his public image. I urge the media and the public to not jump to conclusions and to check facts doubly before printing anything, as too much misinformation is being spread. The probe has been slow as witnesses have been receiving constant threat calls from Nana's people, and they are scared to record their statements. False witnesses have been presented in their place to mislead the investigation. Under such circumstances what kind of investigation or justice is possible?"
She further said, "How can the cops give clean chit to one person when I have registered an FIR against four? Major foul play is going on here and Nana's team is spreading all sorts of lies. I will not let the accused get off the hook so easily. An eye for an eye and a decade for a decade till you are forgiven by grace. Till you repent and ask for forgiveness, I am not dropping this case. Let it go on for as long as it can."
With inputs from PTI
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