After coming out of the Baranagar Police Station, the 66-year-old former Dum Dum (North) MLA called the allegations “false and baseless”, and added that the woman journalist had visited his residence on several occasions in the past.
“The young woman had come to my place around 10 am (Sunday). She interviewed me for about 20-22 minutes. She had come to my house several times before. She has alleged that I physically assaulted her earlier as well. But she never mentioned it to her channel’s editor. She could have refused to interview me,” Bhattacharya said.
“I weigh 83 kilos. If her allegations were true, then would she be fine if someone who is 83 kg sat on her lap,” the former MLA asked. On Sunday during a Facebook Live session, the woman journalist alleged that Bhattacharya made improper advances and sexually harassed her when she visited his Baranagar residence earlier in the day. She had accused the former MLA of touching her inappropriately and sitting on her lap without her consent.
Police have booked Bhattacharya under sections 74 (use of criminal force or assault against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty) and 75(2) (sexual harassment) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). “He (Bhattacharya) will be summoned again on Wednesday,” said a police officer. Police have already recorded the statement of the woman journalist.
Meanwhile, reacting to his suspension from the party within hours of the surfacing of sexual harassment charges, Bhattacharya said: “If the party believes that a complaint from a woman automatically warrants suspension, then the party leadership has done the right thing.
Tomorrow, if any other woman complains against someone else, they will be suspended too. If the party acts in the same manner, then I have nothing to say. I had hoped that the party would have listened to me before taking the decision (to suspend me).”
The CPI(M) leadership suspended Bhattacharya from the party within hours of the journalist making the allegations on social media. CPI(M) state secretary Mohammad Salim had said: “The party doesn’t endorse any such thing, if the allegations are true … The party’s Internal Grievance Committee (ICC) will look into the allegations against Bhattacharya.”